What do you think of Mendelssohn?

[Chiyo]

I'd like to hear your opinions on his works and etc...

[Celeste]

I don't really know much about him, only that he's a Romantic composer. At a recital in which I played a Bach piece, the adjudicator told me I sounded too "Mendelsohnian". I guess that means he has a lot of emotion and dynamics in his pieces.

[frederic]

When someone says Mendelssohn i think: Ah... the Scherzo guy. I dunno why.... I love his music but in my mind, he has a reputation of a joke. Many of his pieces are light and fast. In fact, i find his music TOO light. Some are very lyrical and beautiful but he can, in my opinion, go too far with his melody writing and many sound too childish for my taste. And, as Rachfan said some where in PF, he is a bit obsessed with speed and you always see Presto and Prestissimo. Overall, I don't regard him as a highly important composer.  

[amp]

I'm really fond of Mend... Songs with out words. I think they are beautiful. Virtusic pieces, that have to come across as easy, hard to do.

A little tid-bit about Mend...when he was alive during the romantic period, he was not popular amoung other musicians because he was rich. That was the mindset, you had to be  a "staving-artist" to be a good composer, and Mend was not that. :-)

[rachfan]

In his time Anton Rubinstein auditioned perspective students by requiring them to play a couple of Songs without Words.  They are often deceptively simple, but require a good deal of careful attention and practice.  They leave the pianist no place to hide, and Rubinstein knew that all too well.  A few are even virtuosic.

I've played a great many of the Songs without Words.  While there are certainly some in there with a high degree of creative craftsmanship and merit, others strike me as being absolutely banal and not at all inventive--salon music at its worst.  

I've never been interested in playing his "prestissimo repertoire" (as Frederic recalled).  The Scherzi, Fantasies, and Caprices somehow just don't register with me.  After I've heard them, they are not really memorable, probably because they are speedy in their mechanical machinations, but not especially moving as music.  I have not been interested in doing the Preludes and Fugues either.  If I want to spend time on that genre, I'll invest in Bach--the real thing-- instead.  The Sonatas are youthful works of little or no consequence.  I do like the Variations Serieuse though

I would be hard pressed, in my humble opinion, to place Mendelssohn in the same class of genius as Chopin, Liszt, Brahms and Schumann, all Romantic luminaries.  Probably everyone should play a little Mendelssohn to say "been there, done that", but would probably find working in other areas of the piano repertoire generally more rewarding.  I would guess that in the year 2300, if there are still pianos, people will still be playing Chopin.  But even in our own day, it seems that only a relative few of Mendelssohn's pieces have withstood the test of time.

[10Fingers]

He's one of the most underated composer what makes me a bit sad. His music was forbidden for many years during the Second World War (he was jewish).
Yes, Songs Wihtout Words, I can't find words either to describe how beautiful they are .

regards,

Thi

[Chiyo]

I appreciate your feedback  

[Colette]

I think one of mendelsohn's best works, if not arguably the best piano work he composed, is his variatons serieuse. it's an amazing piece brilliant in theme, variation, harmony, modulation...even if he does wear his romantic heart on his sleeve in parts. It is beautiful and linear, and should be performed much more than it is.

[jonathandodd]

Lots of Mendelssohn is great, but some gets on my nerves sooooooo much   eg we've just played a piece in orchestra by him called "Calm seas and properous voyages". It was really boring...

Anyway, yup, lots of his stuff is good, like the violin concerto.

JD

[frederic]

I love his two piano concertos.
It is quite interesting how both of the concertos have a first movement which is joined to the second. It gets to the climax and just suddenly fall to bits and become blended with the second movement. Normally the first movement ends with a big perfect cadence which makes it a nice piece to play by itself.
It almost suggests Mendelssohn is trying to say that if you want to play it you gotta play the whole thing!

[10Fingers]

Yeah Frederic,

these two piano concerti are simply marvellous! What recording do you have?

take care,

Thi

[amee]

One of the fingerprints of Mendelssohn's style was his unique fairy-like delicacy, an atmosphere he would return to time and time again.  For example, both his Octet for strings (especially the third movement) and his Overture of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream hold this quality.

[rachfan]

Although I'm a pianist, I think the work of Mendelssohn I like best is the Violin Concerto.

[dinosaurtales]

I like some of his stuff, although most of it really isn't *pianistic* -I can't really describe it.  It's almost like he uses the piano as a mechanism for generating lots of notes. Mostly I think of it as *fun* music.  not quite the memorable stuff you see out of other romantic composers.  I have no big desire to actually play much of it.  I'm with RachFan.  I think his violin concerto is his best thing.  His piano trios are cool, too.

[ludwig]

     I really like Mendelssohn, especially his orchestral works. He is a very underated composer as 10fingers said. I couldn't agree more with Rachfan's decision of the greatest piece mendelssohn composed. I love his Violin Concerto in a minor. It is very beautiful and virtuositic at the same time.

[roman]

Mendelssohn, wow, where do I begin to describe this underrated master?

His songs without words are amazing.  The way he makes the melody difficult to interpret into the accompaniment is amazing.

He's a great composer, not very well known, but his music can not be taken for granted or easily, his music was extraordinary.

[Franz_Liszt]

His music is too thin and loose.

[Colette]

hmm. i think that remark really needs to be backed up by some substantial evidence...that i think one would be hard pressed to find...

[Hmoll]

Mendelssohn was a great composer, and his music deserves to be played more.  His Songs Without Words are deceptively difficult, and he wrote a great piano sonata - in B flat or E flat I think, but I have to look it up. Variations Seriuse should definately be played more often. Same thing with his preludes and fugues.
His piano trios are very popular chamber music pieces, though.

Mendelssohn thin and loose?  Hardly.

[sasson]

I think his violin concerto is absolutely intoxicating.

S~

[frederic]

Yes, Hmoll, I think he is most mature in his chamber music. I just love his two piano trios. I think with these, he is at the peek of his abillities. They are truly romantic works with beautiful melodies.

[BoliverAllmon]

I don't know alot of Mendelssohn, but I heard one of his caprice's for piano and orchestra today(don't know which one). All I can say is the piece was very beautiful and incredibly difficult. I sat in my car for nearly the whole piece just to make sure I heard what the name of the piece was. If his other pieces are as this one, then I think that he is quite the composer. Also, think of this, Perahia put out a cd entitled songs without words. If mendelssohn is not that great, then why would Perahia bother with creating the cd?

BoliverAllmon

[luda888]

bad

[IllBeBach]

You've got to love those informed opinions... :-/

I think Mendelssohn is a wonderful composer.  He had a great gift for melody, for light and airy moods, and a superb ability to handle orchestration and forms.  

I think he was very overrated during the 19th century, and very underrated in the 20th century through the current period  (perhaps as a reaction to his overwhelming popularity of earlier times?)

I have only played his Rondo Cappricioso, which is a nice piece, juxtaposing very rich lyricism with light presto "elf-dance"-sort of style he is well know for.

I want to play more when I get around to it, some of the Songs Without Words, the Concerti, and some of the Etudes (the Etude in d minor, I forget the opus number, is wonderful).

[scrabble]

     I really like Mendelssohn, especially his orchestral works. He is a very underated composer as 10fingers said. I couldn't agree more with Rachfan's decision of the greatest piece mendelssohn composed. I love his Violin Concerto in a minor. It is very beautiful and virtuositic at the same time.

Try listening to Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave). As he was taking his "Grand Tour," he was on a ship bound for Scotland. Although quite seasick, he had the idea for the piece after being enchanted by the cave (which can only be reached by sea). You can hear the waves rolling in and almost "hear" the vastness of the cave.

[Allan]

He was a fine composer.  His importance is not only as a composer, however, but in his being a champion of Bach's music.  I like the concertos for piano and violin.  Right now I am working on his First Sonata for organ---a truly worthy piece in the organ literature.  FM was an accomplished organist and a fine craftsman.

[dinosaurtales]

Boy!  There sure are a lot of folks bashing poor old Felix.  He's not so bad.  The piano trios are great, and I also like the Violin concerto, as well as some of his other orchestral work.  He just wasn't a big piano sonata type of guy.  I can live with that.

[shasta]

Mendelssohn's piano trio in D minor is my most favorite piece ever composed.  Breathtaking to perform, breathtaking to listen to.

[lani]

My daughter loves the Song w/out Words pieces-her very favorite is the Venetian Gondolier one; of course she's only twleve, but it sure motivates her ( and I figure any composer whose work motivates a kid to practice an hour or more a day must be good, LOL!)!  But at heart she loves Chopin more. Must be something to the comments above about his songs appealing to children....we'll definitely check out some of the pieces mentioned above! Regards, lani

[Spatula]

Finally someone coughs up his name.  I like his songs without words.

[klavierkonzerte]

have anyone listened to his uncomplete piano concerto in E minor??
it's way better than his first  concertos.


he also wrot a double concerto for violin and piano and violin concerto in D minor,it was written befor the E minor violin concerto.

[shasta]

have anyone listened to his uncomplete piano concerto in E minor??
it's way better than his first  concertos.

he also wrot a double concerto for violin and piano and violin concerto in D minor,it was written befor the E minor violin concerto.

I've searched unsuccessfully for a recording of his E minor --- where'd you get yours?

Mendelssohn also wrote a piano concerto in A minor back in 1822, around the time he wrote the D minor violin concerto.  Does anyone know anything about these or if anyone's recorded them?

[klavierkonzerte]

you can find it here.

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001SGC/qid=1096060494/sr=1-9/ref=sr_1_9/102-0651778-8727366?v=glance&s=classical

[joell12068]

I have a CD of the A minor concerto for piano and strings, played by Cyprien Katsaris.  Mendelssohn wrote it in the beginning of 1822 - making it the work of a 12 or 13 year old.  The passagework of the opening movement is unmistakenly indebted to the piano style of J.N. Hummel