Mendelssohn, Felix: Cello and Piano Music (Complete)

Featuring

Julian Arp
Caspar Frantz
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

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Historical Context

After Mendelssohn's death, admiration for his work turned into neglect, partly due to antisemitic sentiments intensified by Richard Wagner's publication 'Jewishness in Music' (1850).

Composer Biography

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy was a universal musician, serving as a composer, conductor, pianist, festival manager, Gewandhaus Kapellmeister, and founder of Leipzig's Conservatorium der Musik.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mendelssohn's compositions reflect the classicist clarity described by art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann as 'noble simplicity and silent grandeur'.

Interpretation

Pianist Caspar Frantz believes that Mendelssohn's works preclude a superficial interpretation, requiring musicians to search for apparent superficiality in their own playing rather than in the work itself.

Composition History

The Sonata for Cello and Piano in B flat major, Op. 45, completed in 1838, was dedicated by Felix Mendelssohn to his younger brother Paul, who was a skillful amateur cellist.

Instruments

The piano parts for Mendelssohn's works on this album are much harder to play on a modern grand piano than on instruments from Mendelssohn's time.

Performer Biography

The Duo Arp Frantz, consisting of cellist Julian Arp and pianist Caspar Frantz, first met in 1996 and won First Prize in the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition in 2006.