Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 'Reformation' / Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage / Ruy Blas
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FELIX MENDELSSOHN
Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 'Reformation' / Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage / Ruy Blas
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
[ LSO Live SACD + BLU-RAY AUDIO / 2 CD/Blu-ray Disc ]
Release Date: Sunday 1 June 2014
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Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the London Symphony Orchestra join forces once again in the latest instalment of their exploration of Mendelssohn's symphonies.
The previous release, Mendelssohn's Symphony No 3, 'Scottish', coupled with The Hebrides Hybrid SACD + BLU-RAY Audio
Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the London Symphony Orchestra join forces once again in the latest instalment of their exploration of Mendelssohn's symphonies.
The previous release, Mendelssohn's Symphony No 3, 'Scottish', coupled with The Hebrides Overture and Schumann's Piano Concerto, has received widespread critical acclaim. Gramophone awarded the album Editor's Choice and called it "a truly memorable performance"; IRR observed that "it is so good that it can be recommended without hesitation" and it received an ICMA 2014 nomination in the Best Collection category.
Mendelssohn's Symphony No 5 was written in 1830 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Augsberg confession - a seminal event in the Protestant Reformation. Allusions to the symphony's title and inspiration can be heard throughout the music itself: the Dresden Amen is cited by the strings in the first movement whilst the finale is based on Martin Luther's well-known chorale 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott' (A Mighty Fortress is Our God).
Coupled with this are two of Mendelssohn's overtures, both of which were inspired by literary works. 'Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage', based on two short poems by Goethe, depicts the journey of sailors at sea with a still adagio opening ultimately giving way to a triumphant homecoming. Completing the album, the overture 'Ruy Blas' was commissioned by the Leipzig Theatre as an overture to Victor Hugo's tragic drama of the same name.
DSD recording, live at the Barbican, March & October 2014, Audio 2.0 Stereo and multi- channel (5.1)
"Like all of Gardiner's live cycles of the Mendelssohn symphonies at the Barbican, this one comes across with pace, clarity and flaming-eyed conviction" (Financial Times)
"This is something close to the ideal Gardiner experience: stringent while full of expressive detail, close-focus while still drawing the bigger picture...[The Reformation] has no room for stolid sermonising as it practically races to the chorale finale, with some remarkable finesse in the dynamics along the way." (The Times)
"lovely smooth flowing tempo from Sir John Eliot Gardiner." (CDReview)
"Ruy Blas is something out of the ordinary, and not only because of its sleek lines and uncommonly fast tempi but in one or two textural anomalies...Calm Sea...subscribes to a similar interpretative formula, clean, drivn and transparent...I'm fairly convinced that Gardiner's way [with the Reformation] was also Mendelssohn's way. It's a powerful reading, solidly argued, often exciting and vividly played throughout." (Gramophone)
"There's much to savour in Gardiner's urgently driven account of Ruy Blas, and the vibrato-less string passage that opens Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage is simply spellbinding, reminding us of the wizardry and phenomenal aural imagination that is ever present in Mendelssohn's orchestration." (BBC Music Aug 2015)
Tracks:
Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 'Reformation'
Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Op. 27
Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95
