Name: Mendelssohn: The String Symphonies by Roy Goodman
Brand: Roy Goodman
SKU: 828766042726
Price: 9.9 USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 3 (280 reviews)

ALBUM

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

While the youthful string symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn may not be the best things he ever composed -- surely the Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, the Octet for Strings, the Violin Concerto in E minor, and the Italian and Scotch Symphonies have that honor -- one could certainly make the case that Mendelssohn never really got much better as a composer than he was in the string symphonies. The effortlessness and eloquence of his technique, the lightness and lyricism of his melodies, the brightness and brilliance of his scoring, and above all the sheer vivacious charm of the music makes the case that, had Mendelssohn never lived past 15, he could still be counted a great composer.
At any rate, that is the argument one could make after listening to Roy Goodman and the Hanover Band's terrific recording of Mendelssohn's string symphonies. The fact that the Hanover Band is a period instrument ensemble matters as little as the fact that Goodman was a boy soprano: their playing is sprightly and infectious and his conducting is joyous and delightful. Goodman does not attempt to dampen and thus distort Mendelssohn's music with a pose of faux gravitas as Kurt Masur had in his recording of the string symphonies, but rather lets Mendelssohn romp and roar with youthful energy and enthusiasm, and the result is a pure pleasure in music-making. RCA's digital sound is real and vivid.

Mendelssohn: The String Symphonies

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Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 1

1. String Symphony No. 1 in C Major, MWV N 1: I. Allegro

2. String Symphony No. 1 in C Major, MWV N 1: II. Andante

3. String Symphony No. 1 in C Major, MWV N 1: III. Allegro

4. String Symphony No.2 in D Major, MWV N 2: I. Allegro

5. String Symphony No.2 in D Major, MWV N 2: II. Andante

6. String Symphony No.2 in D Major, MWV N 2: III. Allegro vivace

8. String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor, MWV N 3: II. Andante

9. String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor, MWV N 3: III. Allegro

10. String Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, MVW N 4: I. Grave - Allegro

11. String Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, MVW N 4: II. Andante

12. String Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, MVW N 4: III. Allegro vivace

13. String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat, MWV N 5: I. Allegro vivace

14. String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat, MWV N 5: II. Andante

15. String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat, MWV N 5: III. Presto

16. String Symphony No. 6 in E-Flat, MVW N 6: I. Allegro vivace

17. String Symphony No. 6 in E-Flat, MVW N 6: II. Menuetto

18. String Symphony No. 6 in E-Flat, MVW N 6: III. Prestissimo

19. String Symphony No. 10 in B-Minor, MVW N 10: Adagio - Allegro

7. String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor, MWV N 3: I. Allegro di molto

Volume 2

1. String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7: I. Allegro

2. String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7: II. Andante

3. String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7: III. Menuetto

4. String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7: IV. Allegro molto

5. String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8 (Version with Winds): I Adagio - Allegro

6. String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8 (Version with Winds): I. Adagio

7. String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8 (Version with Winds): II. Menuetto

8. String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8 (Version with Winds): III. Allegro molto

9. String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, MWV N 12: I. Fuga, Grave - Allegro

10. String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, MWV N 12: II. Andante

11. String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, MWV N 12: III. Allegro molto

Volume 3

1. String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9: I. Grave - Allegro

2. String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9: II. Andante

3. String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9: III. Scherzo

4. String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9: IV. Allegro vivace

5. String Symphony No. 11 in F Major, MVW N 11: I. Adagio - Allegro molto

7. String Symphony No. 11 in F Major, MVW N 11: III. Adagio

8. String Symphony No. 11 in F Major, MVW N 11: IV. Menuetto - Allegro Moderato

9. String Symphony No. 11 in F Major, MVW N 11: V. Allegro molto

10. String Symphony No. 13, MVW N 14 "Sinfoniesatz" in C Minor: Grave - Allegro molto

6. String Symphony No. 11 in F Major, MVW N 11: II. Scherzo - Commodo Schweizerlied

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