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Mendelssohn: Complete String Symphonies / Hofstetter, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
Orfeo

Mendelssohn: Complete String Symphonies / Hofstetter, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester

$37.99

Details

Composer
MENDELSSOHN, FELIX
Artist
Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Hofstetter
Format
CD
Label
Orfeo
Released
Oct 01, 2009
Catalog #
ORF-C763093
UPC
4011790763323

About



MENDELSSOHN String Symphonies • Michael Hofstetter, cond; Stuttgart CO • ORFEO C 763093 D (3 CDs: 221:27)


The well-publicized childhood musical genius of Mozart and Schubert was surpassed by that of Mendelssohn, as witnessed by the 13 string symphonies he completed by age 15. The third of these string symphonies already shows mastery, by this mere child, of the art of contrapuntal writing. This and other signs of precocious musical genius increased as the composer matured through each of the succeeding 10 string symphonies. The first six are imitative of Schubert and Beethoven, but in the Seventh String Symphony in D Minor, Mendelssohn begins to express his individuality. From the Ninth on, Mendelssohn moves forward at a galloping pace, with glorious fugal movements and fugal passages proliferating. The 11th String Symphony, in F Major/F Minor, is my favorite. Mendelssohn augments the second movement, marked Commodo (Schweizerlied) , with percussion at its conclusion. The 13th String Symphony is incomplete, consisting of only a single movement that shows further mastery of contrapuntal writing.


Michael Hofstetter, the principal conductor of the renowned Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and follower of a line of succession that started with the orchestra’s founder, Karl Münchinger, gives us a commendable set of these early Mendelssohn masterpieces. But the playing is relatively subdued and the conducting is characterized by too weak a beat for my taste. Other listeners may prefer this approach, which uses a small chamber orchestra, to my favored version by Kurt Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra with its fuller string complement. In terms of the era, Hofstetter’s approach is Baroque in character—small ensemble with restrained vibrato—whereas Masur’s is contemporary and closer to late 19th century. The latter seems to me to be more in line with what Mendelssohn meant to convey, closer to Beethoven than to Bach, but who really knows? In the first movement of the 11th Symphony, Hofstetter fails to take the very important exposition repeat, whereas Masur wisely observes it. This is the only textual difference that I found.


This disc is a very good Baroque-style alternative to Masur’s exceptionally fine modern performances. On that basis, it is recommended.


FANFARE: Burton Rothleder

Tracklist 40 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 I. Allegro 04:39
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    04:39
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  3. 2 II. Andante 03:41
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    03:41
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  4. 3 III. Allegro 02:50
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:50
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  5. 4 I. Allegro 04:14
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    04:14
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  6. 5 II. Andante 04:34
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    04:34
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  7. 6 III. Allegro 02:06
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:06
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  8. 7 I. Allegro di molto 04:02
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. Allegro di molto
    Duration
    04:02
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  9. 8 II. Andante 02:15
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    02:15
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  10. 9 III. Allegro 02:29
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  11. 10 I. Grave - Allegro 03:07
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Grave - Allegro
    Duration
    03:07
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  12. 11 II. Andante 03:14
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    03:14
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  13. 12 III. Allegro vivace 02:39
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Allegro vivace
    Duration
    02:39
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  14. 13 I. Allegro vivace 04:28
    Track
    13
    Title
    I. Allegro vivace
    Duration
    04:28
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  15. 14 II. Andante 03:13
    Track
    14
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    03:13
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  16. 15 III. Presto 03:45
    Track
    15
    Title
    III. Presto
    Duration
    03:45
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  17. 16 I. Allegro 03:30
    Track
    16
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    03:30
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  18. 17 II. Menuetto 03:45
    Track
    17
    Title
    II. Menuetto
    Duration
    03:45
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  19. 18 III. Prestissimo 03:44
    Track
    18
    Title
    III. Prestissimo
    Duration
    03:44
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  20. 19 Sinfonia No. 10 in B Minor 10:53
    Track
    19
    Title
    Sinfonia No. 10 in B Minor
    Duration
    10:53
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  21. Disc 2
  22. 1 I. Allegro 05:47
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    05:47
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  23. 2 II. Andante 06:02
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    06:02
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  24. 3 III. Menuetto 04:39
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Menuetto
    Duration
    04:39
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  25. 4 IV. Allegro molto 05:32
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Allegro molto
    Duration
    05:32
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  26. 5 I. Adagio e grave - Allegro 10:09
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Adagio e grave - Allegro
    Duration
    10:09
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  27. 6 II. Adagio 04:48
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    04:48
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  28. 7 III. Menuetto: Allegro molto - Trio: Presto 04:28
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Menuetto: Allegro molto - Trio: Presto
    Duration
    04:28
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  29. 8 IV. Allegro molto 09:37
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Allegro molto
    Duration
    09:37
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  30. 9 I. Grave - Allegro 08:42
    Track
    9
    Title
    I. Grave - Allegro
    Duration
    08:42
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  31. 10 II. Andante 07:04
    Track
    10
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    07:04
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  32. 11 III. Scherzo 03:25
    Track
    11
    Title
    III. Scherzo
    Duration
    03:25
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  33. 12 IV. Allegro vivace 07:23
    Track
    12
    Title
    IV. Allegro vivace
    Duration
    07:23
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  34. Disc 3
  35. 1 I. Adagio - Allegro molto 11:12
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Adagio - Allegro molto
    Duration
    11:12
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  36. 2 II. Scherzo: Commodo (Schweizerlied) 05:01
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Scherzo: Commodo (Schweizerlied)
    Duration
    05:01
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  37. 3 III. Adagio 08:47
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    08:47
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  38. 4 IV. Menuetto: Allegro moderato 04:22
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Menuetto: Allegro moderato
    Duration
    04:22
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  39. 5 V. Allegro molto 10:24
    Track
    5
    Title
    V. Allegro molto
    Duration
    10:24
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  40. 6 I. Fuga: Grave - Allegro 05:30
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Fuga: Grave - Allegro
    Duration
    05:30
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  41. 7 II. Andante 06:25
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    06:25
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  42. 8 III. Allegro molto 10:15
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Allegro molto
    Duration
    10:15
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter
  43. 9 Symphonic Movement in C Minor, MWV N14 07:12
    Track
    9
    Title
    Symphonic Movement in C Minor, MWV N14
    Duration
    07:12
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Ensemble
    Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
    Conductor
    Michael Hofstetter