Mendelssohn: Incidental Music To A Midsummer Night's Dream/Octet, Op.20

On this CD:

1. A Midsummer Night's Dream, overture, Op. 21
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by NBC Symphony Orchestra with Edna Phillips
Conducted by Arturo Toscanini

2. A Midsummer Night's Dream, incidental music, Op. 61 Op. 61
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by NBC Symphony Orchestra with Edna Phillips
Conducted by Arturo Toscanini

3. Octet for strings in E flat major, Op. 20
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by NBC Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Arturo Toscanini

Customer Reviews:

Uneven quality but great value.......2007-04-30

Brilliant Classics has found a niche with their extremely low-price multi-disc collections of the work of a single composer or performer. The Bach, Mozart and Chopin Complete Editions are legitimately considered to be artistic and economical triumphs. But the Masterworks series are more uneven. Currently available from Amazon France at about a buck per CD, they're still a bargain for those interested in quickly building a music library. But it's worth keeping a few things in mind. Unlike the Bach and Mozart Editions, these are not always historically informed performances. In this Mendelssohn set, the Hanover Band puts in a cameo (in Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage), but most of the ensembles use modern instruments, techniques and proportions. This doesn't always work out, as in the case of the ponderously heavy recordings of the String Symphonies by an apparently full complement of Gewandhausorchester Leipzig strings (Mendelssohn likely wrote these early works for a much smaller group). The caliber of the performances varies too, ranging from good to poor, and from marquis musicians such as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to a few Dutch who-dats. The chamber musicians generally acquit themselves well (though the Octet recording is marred by an engineering flaw in the last movement, distortion, at least on my copy). But the symphonies suffer from some substandard performances, such as the Italian Symphony's live recording with not only audience noise but also ensemble flaws such as a distracting clarinet squeak in the first movement's recapitulation. Another strike is the lack of program notes. Brilliant's Complete Editions provide a booklet or CD-ROM with program notes, but here you'll need to do your own research.

Despite these shortcomings, this set is still good value (at least at Amazon France's current price of 31 Euros). And it's a fine way to become acquainted with Mendelssohn's music.

A superb collection of Mendelssohn.......2007-03-24

Let me preface this by saying that most of these works were not new to me - I own many other Mendelssohn CDs and have enjoyed his compositions for some time now. Also, this set is available much cheaper elsewhere, particularly from European retailers.
The symphonies are well-performed. 'Reformation' is an inspired live recording. The 12 string symphonies, written in Mendelssohn's youth, are also included. The concertos are exceptional - the violin concerto is as good as you'll find anywhere. The oratorios Elijah and Paulus are included, as well as the complete chamber works and a diverse assortment of choral works. The last few discs include the Lied ohne worte, the epic organ sonatas, and excellent renditions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Fingal's Cave. While there are a few sketchy performances in the choral and chamber works, the performances and recordings are generally very solid, and the body of work couldn't be better.

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Dream Melodies, Vols. 6-10 (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

'Moonlight' Son: Adagio Sostenuto - Evelyne Dubourg
Kinderscenen: Traumerei - Evelyne Dubourg
Liebestraum No.3 - Donatella Failoni
Fur Elise - Evelyne Dubourg
Impromptu in A-flat, D 935 No.2 - Evelyne Dubourg
The Merry Peasant - Evelyne Dubourg
Intermezzo in E-flat - Andreas Pistorius
Nocturne in c-sharp - Evelyne Dubourg
Romance in F-sharp - Evelyne Dubourg
Paganini Study No.3 'La Campanella' - Donatella Failoni
Clair De Lune, From 'Ste Bergamasque' - Andreas Pistorius
Waltz in A-flat - Evelyne Dubourg
Son 123 Del Petrarca - Andreas Pistorius
Invitation To The Dance - Evelyne Dubourg

Tracks:

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro - Franz Liszt CO/Janos Rolla
Ser in C: Elegia - Berlin CO/Peter Wohlert
Ser in E: Moderato - Berlin CO/Peter Wohlert
Wind Ser in c: Andante - Budapest Wind Ens
Ser in D: Aria. Andante - Virtuosi Saxoniae/Ludwig Guttler
Ser in D, 'Ser Notturna': Rondeau. Allegretto - Berlin CO/Peter Wohlert
Ser No.1 in D: Adagio Non Troppo - Luxembourg Radio and TV Orch/Leopold Hager
Ser in C: Waltz - Berlin CO/Peter Wohlert
Ser in E: Larghetto - Berlin CO/Peter Wohlert
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: Romance. Andante - Franz Liszt CO/Janos Rolla
Op.3 No.5: Ser - Budapest Strs

Tracks:

Swan Lake: Scene - Bavarian RSO/Hans Vonk
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Wedding March - Budapest PO/Janos Kovacs
Nutcracker: Waltz Of The Flowers - Staatkapelle Dresden/Hans Vonk
Peer Gynt: Anitra's Dance - Budapest PO/Janos Sandor
Rosamunde: Ballet Music in G - Budapest PO/Janos Kovacs
Tsar And Carpenter: Clog Dance - Bratislava PO/Kurt Woss
Coppelia: Czardas - Berlin RSO/Heinz Fricke
Eugene Onegin: Waltz - Staatskapelle Dresden/Hans Vonk
L'Arlesienne: Farandole - Budapest PO/Janos Sandor
La Gioconda: Dance Of The Hours - Budapest PO/Andras Korodi
The Sleeping Beauty: Pas D'Action. Adagio - Bavarian RSO/Hans Vonk
Sylvia': Cortege De Bacchus - Budapest PO/Janos Sandor

Tracks:

Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - Budapest PO/Andras Korodi
The Tales Of Hoffmann: Barcarolle - Budapest PO/Janos Sandor
Thais: Meditation - Budapest PO/Andras Korodi
Carmen: Intermezzo - Budapest PO/Janos Sandor
Madame Butterfly: Humming Chor - Sofia Nat Opr Chor
La Traviata: Prld - Sofia SO/Vassil Stefanov
The Valkyrie: Fire Magic - Budapest SO/Gyorgy Lehel
Eugene Onegin: Polonaise - Staatskapelle Dresden/Hans Vonk
The Marriage Of Figaro: Ov - Staatskapelle Dresden/Hans Vonk
Twilight Of The Gods: Siegfried's Rhine Journey - Vienna SO/Yuri Ahronovitch
The Force Of Destiny: Ov - Sofia SO/Vassil Stefanov
Lohengrin: Prelude - Budapest SO/Gyorgy Lehel

Tracks:

Humoresque - Budapest Strs
Melody in F - Budapest Strs
Ave Maria - Budapest Strs
Norwegian Dance No.2 - Budapest Strs
Caro Mio Ben - Budapest Strs
Chanson Triste - Budapest Strs
Spring Song - Budapest Strs
Nocturne in E-flat - Budapest Strs
German Dance No.1 - Budapest Strs
Cradle Song - Budapest Strs
Zigeunerweisen - Budapest Strs
Minuet - Budapest Strs
Romance - Budapest Strs
Standchen - Budapest Strs
Waltz - Budapest Strs
Oct in E flat: Scherzo - Budapest Strs

Mendelssohn: Incidental Music To A Midsummer Night's Dream/Octet, Op.20

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Magic Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn: Incidental Music To A Midsummer Night's Dream/Octet, Op.20

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony/Romeo and Juliet
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 101/Symphony No. 99/Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 84

ASIN: B000003EXD
Release Date: 1992-08-11

Tracks:

Overture - Edna Phillips
Intermezzo - Edna Phillips
Nocturne - Edna Phillips
Scherzo - Edna Phillips
Wedding March - Edna Phillips
Finale - Edna Phillips
Allegro Moderato Ma Con Fuoco - Arturo Toscanini
Andante - Arturo Toscanini
Scherzo: Allegro Leggierissmo - Arturo Toscanini
Presto - Arturo Toscanini

Customer Reviews:

Magic Mendelssohn.......2006-02-21

It's astonishing to realize that Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed the overture to Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" when he was only 17 years old. It is a strikingly mature work with brilliant writing for strings, much in the vein of the series of string symphonies he wrote during his teenage years. There is clearly magic in the overture, as well as the later incidental music he composed for the same classic play. (Erich Wolfgang Korngold arranged this music for Warner Brother's delightful 1935 film version of the play.)

Mendlessohn's writing is at times very delicate and precise, which is so apparent in this 1947 Carnegie Hall recording with Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. There is also a relentless energy and drive, typical of Toscanini's conducting, without necessarily overwhelming the listener. In other words, the performance is NEVER heavy-handed, nor does it drag. It is an absolutely brilliant performance, filled with life and vigor.

The earlier LP releases of these recordings suffered from RCA's decision to place the microphones far back in the historic auditorium. This frequently resulted in a shallow and distant sound that was particularly troublesome in the sections for the female vocalists and chorus. It was much like sitting in the very back of Carnegie Hall or even out in the lobby; only the louder sections were really clear. So much of the sound was muddy or indistinct.

What can be heard today in the recordings is really marvelous. The fact that Toscanini included so much of the incidental music is amazing, since the recordings were made in the 78-rpm era (1947). One would have to listen to the much later recording by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, along with soloists and chorus, to hear more of Mendelssohn's amazing music, also recorded for RCA Victor.

The incidental music was written years after the overture, but Mendelssohn managed to match the same magical sound he had achieved earlier. He recogni0zed the mysterious and delightful qualities of Shakespeare's comic play. Mendelssohn even represented Bottom's fate of being turned into a donkey by using a braying sound, particularly during the overture.

The scherzo is especially delightful and has more relentless energy than his two recordings with the New York Philharmonic. The nocture, also recorded with the Philharmonic, is quite moving. There is a sadness at times in this music, while other moments have a nobility and dignity that is particularly poignant in Toscanini's hands.

The celebrated wedding march has seldom sounded more spectacular and imposing than in this recording. Despite the distant miking, the full effects of this music, complete with clashing cymbals, comes across. During the more lyrical bridge section one can hear Toscanini humming, an example of his deep involvement with the music.

Toscanini's recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra of much of the same music comes close to the overwhelming efforts of the NBC Symphony. The vocal sections are much clearer and one can clearly understand the English words, which are actually translated from the German text (a translation from Shakespeare's original text that Mendelssohn used).

Overall, this is a very fine performance and has clearly benefited from digital technology.

The music of Mendelssohn's Octet, here arranged by Toscanini for the NBC Symphony's celebrated string section, goes well with the overture and incidental music. The scherzo rivals that of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It is quite a challenge to play this music at the lightning speed requested by Mendelssohn. Here is clear documentation of the fine playing by Toscanini's string players. A former concert cellist, Toscanini never lost his love for the strings and his ability to coax precise and inspired playing for the strings.

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