MENDELSSOHN Songs Without Words

Brautigam plays the Songs on a reconstructed fortepiano

View record and artist details

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Felix Mendelssohn

Magazine Review Date: 03/2013

Mastering:

Stereo
DDD

Catalogue Number: BIS-SACD-1982

Tracks:

Composition	Artist Credit
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 1, Andante con moto in E	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 2, Andante espressivo in A minor	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 3, Molto allegro in A, 'Jägerlied'	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 4, Moderato in A	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 5, Agitato in F sharp minor	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 6, Andante sostenuto in G minor, 'Venetian Gondola Song' (1830)	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 1, Andante espressivo in E flat	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 2, Allegro di molto in B flat minor	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 3, Andante sostenuto in E	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 4, Agitato e con fuoco in B minor	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 5, Andante grazioso in D	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 6, Allegretto in F sharp minor, 'Venetian Gond	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 1, Con moto in E flat	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 2, Allegro non troppo in C minor	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 3, Presto in E	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 4, Andante in A	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 5, Agitato in A minor	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 6, Andante con moto in A flat, 'Duetto'	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 1, Andante con moto in A flat	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 2, Allegro non troppo in E flat	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 3, Presto agitato in G minor	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 4, Adagio in F	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 5, Allegro in A minor, 'Volkslied'	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano
(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 6, Molto allegro vivace in A	Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Ronald Brautigam, Musician, Piano

Author: Jeremy Nicholas

Brautigam is, if not the foremost, certainly the most prolific of today’s fortepiano specialists, with complete cycles of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven to his credit, all widely and justly praised for their outstanding musicianship, revelatory insights (Beethoven’s 32 sonatas in particular) and recorded sound. Turning his attention to Mendelssohn, Brautigam uses an instrument built in 2010 by Paul McNulty after an 1830 Pleyel preserved at the Musée de la Musique in Paris. It offers a rare opportunity to hear some of the composer’s most beloved works as he might have heard them: the first four of the six volumes of Songs Without Words, each containing six pieces, written between 1829 and 1841. Brautigam adds to these five individual Lieder ohne Worte without opus numbers.

There is, of course, much to savour and admire (not least the sound engineering by Ingo Petry), but I can’t pretend that listening to 29 of these little tone-poems in sequence is the most rewarding way of hearing them. One is made aware, in a way that is not evident when the Songs are cherry-picked, that not all of them are equally inspired and how often Mendelssohn falls back on the same harmonic and figurative devices. The brisker ones work best but I miss the modern grand piano’s sustained, singing tone in pieces such as the beautiful opening E major Song and No 3 from Op 30 in the same key. To my ears, Mendelssohn’s genius was to compose music that would sound far more effective on an instrument that had yet to be built.

MENDELSSOHN Lieder ohne Worte (I)

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 1, Andante con moto in E

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 2, Andante espressivo in A minor

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 3, Molto allegro in A, 'Jägerlied'

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 4, Moderato in A

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 5, Agitato in F sharp minor

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 6, Andante sostenuto in G minor, 'Venetian Gondola Song' (1830)

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 1, Andante espressivo in E flat

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 2, Allegro di molto in B flat minor

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 3, Andante sostenuto in E

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 4, Agitato e con fuoco in B minor

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 5, Andante grazioso in D

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 6, Allegretto in F sharp minor, 'Venetian Gond

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 1, Con moto in E flat

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 2, Allegro non troppo in C minor

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 3, Presto in E

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 4, Andante in A

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 5, Agitato in A minor

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 6, Andante con moto in A flat, 'Duetto'

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 1, Andante con moto in A flat

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 2, Allegro non troppo in E flat

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 3, Presto agitato in G minor

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 4, Adagio in F

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 5, Allegro in A minor, 'Volkslied'

(48) Songs without Words, Movement: No. 6, Molto allegro vivace in A

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