Mendelssohn's Six Grand Sonatas were groundbreaking, marking a new era in the concept of the sonata and influencing over 260 organ sonatas composed in Germany alone between his works and Reger's Second Sonata (1900).
Performer Biography
The performer, Dr. Jan Lehtola, is a Lecturer in Organ Music at the Sibelius Academy and has given over 70 premiere performances of works written for him by various composers.
Composition History
Mendelssohn's Six Grand Sonatas for organ were initially commissioned by an English publisher, Coventry & Hollier, as 'Voluntaries' for use in church services.
Composer Biography
Felix Mendelssohn, like Mozart, was a child genius who began piano lessons at six, studied composition at eight, and made his first public appearance at eleven.
Cultural Impact
Mendelssohn's 1829 performance of an abridged St Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach (a German Baroque composer) triggered a significant Bach renaissance in the 19th century.
Instruments
The Uusikaupunki Church organ, built by Marcussen & Sohn in 1865, is one of the largest and oldest church organs still in use in Finland, and its sound is featured on this recording for the first time.
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