MENDELSSOHN Symphonies Nos 1 & 5
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Felix Mendelssohn
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: MDG
Magazine Review Date: 04/2014
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 58
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: MDG901 1814-6

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Symphony No. 1 |
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Thomas Zehetmair, Conductor Winterthur Musikkollegium Orchestra |
Symphony No. 5, 'Reformation' |
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer
Felix Mendelssohn, Composer Thomas Zehetmair, Conductor Winterthur Musikkollegium Orchestra |
Author: Rob Cowan
Norrington and Zehetmair both couple the Reformation with the First Symphony but in the case of the latter my preferences swing into reverse. Although Zehetmair again offers a highly coloured take on the music, his tendency to taper string phrases with sudden decrescendos can be distracting, even though the playing of his Winterthur orchestra has enormous gusto. Norrington’s approach is less mannered and his Minuet is broader than Zehetmair’s by almost two minutes, no bad thing as it nudges the music a step or two in the direction of Schubert (whose similarly urgent Fourth Symphony was composed eight years earlier). So, if it’s the Reformation alone you’re after, I would recommend sampling Zehetmair at the very least: see how you take to his varieties of dynamic inflection. I loved his recording but didn’t particularly care for his rather affected account of the First, so if you want this particular coupling, Norrington on Hänssler is probably the safer bet. On the other hand, Gardner is still very much in the running with his excellent disc of Nos 4 and 5.
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.

Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
Subscribe
Gramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.