It was only when he reached Naples in April 1831 – after almost a year of his journey – that Italy began to seep its way into Mendelssohn’s music. Naples also called a halt to the pleasures of travelling. The weather was dreadful, with continual rain, so it was better to remain indoors. Mendelssohn used his ‘free time’ for a new symphony in the vibrant key of A major, the Italian. It seems to have fl owed from his pen with consummate ease, although he was only to complete the work some two years later, in Berlin, when his journey to Paestum on the Gulf of Salerno was far in his past.
The Italian is a real party piece. This was certainly the view following the work’s premiere in London on 13 May 1833, given by the Philharmonic Society. (Mendelssohn was highly acclaimed in London, where he had been commissioned to produce a new symphony). This makes it all the more remarkable that Mendelssohn himself described this masterpiece as having been ‘one of the most bitter moments of my entire career’, fretting, for years to come, about whether he ought to rewrite the second, third and fourth movements.
The opening Allegro vivace abounds with Mediterranean exuberance. The slow movement probably depicts a religious procession, witnessed by the composer in Naples. The third movement – Con moto moderato – seems to have little in the way of Italian infl uence. Rather one might imagine oneself in the shade of Germanic limes, beech and pine trees, Biedermeier-style. But the fi nale is drawn directly from Italian folk life: an irresistible, whirling dance to the rhythmic beat of the saltarello.
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 00:56:30
Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | CC72658 |
| Qualities | |
| Channels | 2ch Stereo, 5 Channel Surround Sound, 2ch Stereo & 5ch Surround |
| Artists | |
| Composers | |
| Genres | |
| Cables | Siltech |
| Digital Converters | dCS DSD |
| Mastering Engineer | Bert van der Wolf |
| Mastering Equipment | Avalon Acoustic |
| Microphones | Sonodore |
| Conductors | |
| Instruments | |
| Original Recording Format | |
| Producer | Bert van der Wolf |
| Recording Engineer | Bert van der Wolf, Brendon Heinst |
| Recording location | Muziekcentrum Enschede Holland |
| Recording Software | Merging |
| Recording Type & Bit Rate | DSD64 |
| Release Date | June 27, 2015 |
Press reviews
Positive Feedback
[NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE COMPLETE 3-Vol CYCLE AS A BUNDLE. I don’t see that NativeDSD offers the 3 volumes as a bundle, so please apply as makes sense for you.
https://www.nativedsd.com/product/complete-symphonies-vol-2-symphony-nos1-3/
https://www.nativedsd.com/product/symphony-no-2-lobgesang/]
Jan Willem de Vriend and The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra deliver very stylish, dynamic and engaging performances of the Mendelssohn symphonies throughout this entire cycle, which includes his overture Ruy Blas, op. 95 (recorded in 2020), as well.
I’ve written before about my enjoyment of De Vriend’s performances with The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (the Schubert symphonies, the Beethoven piano concertos, and arias by Handel and Mozart). He comes from a background of period instrument practice, and since taking leadership of the NSO (2006-2018), he introduced some of that period practice into this modern instrument orchestra, replacing the brass with period instruments, sticks for the tympani, and significantly reducing the use of vibrato aiming at a new and different sound. And this orchestra under De Vriend does deliver a decidedly different sound. It is not that of a period instrument orchestra nor that of a modern orchestra. It abides someplace between, making use of the timbre, range and flexibility of modern instruments while adding the light, fleetness found with the typically smaller period instrument ensembles.
This light, fleetness is very apparent in these sparkling performances of the Mendelssohn Symphonies. De Vriend extracts detail, subtle tonal variations and tempo variations that are all enhanced by this synthesis of the period and modern. And he leaves nothing behind when delivering powerful crescendos.
These performances have a lithe, sinewy muscularity that is most agreeable and refreshing.
As I have come to expect from Bert van der Wolf, the recorded sound quality is excellent. Well balanced, nicely capturing the air of the natural acoustic environment, eminently detailed, fully dynamic. They are just superbly well recorded.
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