Mendelssohn's Variations sérieuses in D minor, Op 54, was commissioned by Viennese publisher Pietro Mechetti for a Beethoven album, with proceeds supporting a monument in Beethoven's birthplace, Bonn.
Critical Reception
Mendelssohn's reputation suffered due to a reaction against Victorianism and the banning of his music by the Nazis, despite his baptism as a Lutheran.
Composer Biography
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.
Performer Biography
Howard Shelley, the pianist on this album, has a discography exceeding 180 albums and has been awarded an OBE for services to classical music.
Composer Biography
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, the composer, was considered one of the greatest pianists of the 19th century, renowned for his performances and improvisations.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mendelssohn made significant contributions to every important genre of his time, except opera, and as a conductor, he transformed the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig into a premier musical institution.
Compositional Technique
Mendelssohn is primarily remembered for creating the Lied ohne Worte (Song without Words), a new type of short character-piece for piano that Robert Schumann described as a 'song' with its text suppressed.
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