Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809–1845) was a genius of quite
extraordinary dimensions. He had reached full maturity as a composer by
the age of sixteen (1825, the year of the String Octet), by which time
he had also proved himself a double prodigy on both piano and violin, an
exceptional athlete (and a particularly strong swimmer), a talented
poet (Goethe was a childhood friend and confidante), multi-linguist,
water-colourist, and philosopher. He excelled at virtually anything
which could hold his attention for long enough, although it was music
which above all activated his creative imagination.
Mendelssohn
was an exceptionally gifted pianist, whose early studies under Ludwig
Berger progressed at an astonishing rate. After hearing a recital given
at home by the twelve-year-old boy, Goethe exclaimed: ‘What this little
man is capable of in terms of improvisation and sight-reading is simply
prodigious. I would have not thought it possible at such an age.’ When a
companion reminded him that he had heard Mozart extemporize at a
similar age, the great poet replied: ‘Just so!’ This was in 1821, by
which time Mendelssohn had already composed a violin sonata, three piano
sonatas, and two operas!
Mendelssohn’s mature piano style was
derived not so much from the orchestral texturing of Beethoven and
Schubert, as from the filigree intricacies of the German virtuoso piano
school, represented principally by Hummel and Weber, further enhanced by
a Mozartian emphasis on textural clarity. It was never Mendelssohn’s
intention to push contemporary keyboard instruments beyond that of which
they were comfortably capable, more to utilize those qualities for
which they were best adapted—brilliant clarity in the treble register,
and the ability to sustain a flowing, cantabile melody without undue
bass resonance.
Mendelssohn’s first surviving works in concerto
form date from 1822: the D minor Violin Concerto (not the popular E
minor, a much later composition) and the Piano Concerto in A minor, both
with string orchestra accompaniment, closely followed by a D minor
Concerto for violin, piano and strings in May 1823. The Concertos for
two pianos also belong to this early group, the E major being dated 17
October 1823, and the A flat major 12 November 1824. Both works had
entirely dropped out of the repertoire until, in 1950, the original
manuscripts were ‘rediscovered’ in the Berlin State Library.
Mendelssohn’s
sister, Fanny, was also a gifted pianist, and it is almost certain that
the E major Concerto was written with her in mind. However, it also
appears likely that the A flat Concerto was inspired by Felix’s first
encounter with the young piano virtuoso Ignaz Moscheles. Upon seeing the
boy Mendelssohn play, even Moscheles could barely believe his eyes:
‘Felix, a mere boy of fifteen, is a phenomenon. What are all other
prodigies compared with him?—mere gifted children. I had to play a good
deal, when all I really wanted to do was to hear him and look at his
compositions.’
The major criticism levelled at the Two-Piano
Concertos is their tendency to overstretch relatively fragile musical
material, as, with two soloists to contend with, Mendelssohn had been
keen to ensure that the music was shared equally, thus involving an
unusual amount of repetition. It would hardly be fair to expect even
Mendelssohn to have achieved the miraculous thematic concision and
structural cohesion of the E minor Violin Concerto and G and D minor
Piano Concertos at such an early age.
The opening tutti of the E
major Concerto uncovers a vein of dream-like contentment which was to
become Mendelssohn’s expressive trademark. Virtually every subsequent
composition contains passages of this nature contrasted, as here, by
fleet-footed music of quicksilver brilliance. Even the use of Mozartian
falling chromaticisms fails to cloud the blissfully trouble-free
outlook.
The central 6/8 Adagio anticipates Mendelssohn’s
favourite arioso Lieder ohne Worte style, whilst the high velocity
finale demonstrates the composer’s precocious ability to assimilate
Hummelian semiquaver athletics, and organize them into a convincing (if
not yet fully developed) structure, transcending the aimless
note-spinning of many of his older contemporaries.
The first
movement of the A flat major Two-Piano Concerto is Mendelssohn’s longest
concerto movement, and despite the composer’s declared preference for
the E major Concerto, it displays a greater awareness of internal
balance and structural proportions than its younger companion. The
Mozartian opening theme (shades of the A major Concerto K414!) is
embellished by some decidedly un-Mozartian virtuoso cascades during the
soloists’ exposition, although a second lyrical idea is decidedly more
restrained in its pyrotechnical aspirations.
The wistful Andante
is clearly premonitory of the main theme of the G minor Piano Concerto’s
slow movement, even if the continually flowing 6/8 metre and
self-conscious virtuoso flourishes betray a certain lack of formal
confidence in comparison with the later work.
Weber clearly marks
the starting point for the good-natured Allegro vivace finale, its
jocular high spirits being effectively contained by passing moments of
mild contrapuntal ingenuity. The exuberant coda forces the main theme
into overdrive, betraying a refreshingly boyish naivety, in stark
contrast to the startling individuality and resourcefulness of the work
as a whole. At only fifteen yeary of age, Mendelssohn was no mere
fledgling composer but a highly creative intelligence on the verge of
artistic maturity. Hyperion
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Concerto for two pianos in A flat major[41'28]
Concerto for two pianos in E major[30'35]
Credits :
Conductor – Jerzy Maksymiuk
Leader – Geoffrey Trabichoff
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Ian Munro, Stephen Coombs
