Mendelssohn: Songs Without Words, Op. 19b; Pieces Op. 5-7 (The Complete Solo Piano Music 1)

Featuring

Howard Shelley
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

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Composer Biography

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy was considered one of the greatest pianists of the 19th century, achieving legendary status for his performances and improvisations.

Historical Context

Mendelssohn's reputation was undermined in the 20th century due to factors like a reaction against Victorianism and the banning of his music by the Nazis, despite his baptism as a Lutheran.

Composer's Artistic Vision

As a conductor, Mendelssohn transformed the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig into one of the premier musical institutions of his time.

Composition History

Mendelssohn composed or began nearly two hundred works for piano, but only about seventy were published during his lifetime.

Performer Biography

Howard Shelley, the pianist on this recording, has had a distinguished career since his 1971 London debut and is known for his work as both a conductor and soloist.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mendelssohn's aesthetic for his Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words) was to let the individual pieces stand on their own, trusting musical expression over the ambiguities of words.

Critical Reception

During the 1830s and 1840s, Mendelssohn was an extraordinary child prodigy, compared to a "second Mozart" by Goethe and Heine, and described as the "Mozart of the nineteenth century" by Robert Schumann.