Henry Raudales, the violinist and conductor on this album, was born in Guatemala and performed Mendelssohn's E minor Concerto as a soloist in the USA at age nine.
Composer Biography
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy began composing his extensive series of string symphonies at age 11, thanks to his father's Sunday morning concerts at their Berlin home.
Composition History
Mendelssohn composed his first Violin Concerto for his teacher and close friend Eduard Rietz, who later founded the Philharmonic Society and was involved in the revival of Bach's St. Matthew Passion.
Composition History
Mendelssohn's early string symphonies were inspired by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Hamburg Symphonies, which featured a three-movement form and string-only instrumentation.
Composition History
The early string symphonies were considered lost after Mendelssohn's death until their rediscovery in 1950 in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin.
Compositional Technique
Mendelssohn's compositional skill developed rapidly, as seen in his string symphonies, which progressed from simple beginnings to masterful works with increasing complexity and length.
Critical Reception
Since their first complete recording in 1971 by the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Kurt Masur, Mendelssohn's early symphonies have become a standard part of the string and chamber orchestral repertoire.
