Mendelssohn composed his Symphony No. 1 at age fifteen as a birthday gift for his sister Fanny, after having already written twelve symphonies for strings.
Recording & Production
This album is part of a complete Mendelssohn cycle recorded by Paavo Järvi, the Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, a project he decided on for his second season.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mendelssohn's 'Lobgesang' ('Hymn of Praise') was his only symphony whose composition was relatively unproblematic, possibly because it was a hybrid genre combining symphony and cantata.
Critical Reception
Mendelssohn himself later found his Symphony No. 1 'really childish' and requested its substitution when it was scheduled for performance ten years after its premiere.
Composer Biography
Mendelssohn was born into a talented family and, as a child, performed his early compositions with musicians from the Berlin Hofkapelle every Sunday.
Composition History
Mendelssohn's 'Reformation' Symphony was planned for the 300th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, a formulation of Lutheran religious beliefs, and includes musical quotations from the Lutheran liturgy.
Critical Reception
Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 1 was performed only twice by the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich before this recording, and Symphony No. 2 ('Hymn of Praise') only once.
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Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A major, op. 90 "Italian"; Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op 107 "Reformation"
