Felix Mendelssohn’s 12 String Symphonies predate his fully-orchestral Symphony No. 1, completed in 1824. Composed under the tutelage of Fredrich Zelter and modeled on Bach and Mozart (among others), the symphonies nonetheless display Mendelssohn’s precocious talent and his emerging originality. Symphony No. 10 seamlessly weaves three movements into one and features one of the composer’s more beguiling melodies, while No. 12’s finale draws heavily upon Mozart’s Symphony No. 40. The most substantial work here is the four-movement Symphony No. 9. At more than 30 minutes, this ingeniously planned, expertly crafted piece is nearly as satisfying as the full-orchestra symphonies to follow.
In fact, it’s the irresistible freshness and vitality of these pieces that makes them so enjoyable (qualities that seemed to elude Mendelssohn in some of his later works). Patrick Strub evokes the youthful excitement of the music in his bracing performances with the Kammerorchester Arcata Stuttgart and its wonderfully full-bodied string sound. Hänssler’s dynamic and warmly reverberant recording makes for a very agreeable listening experience too. A worthwhile acquisition, especially if your exposure to Mendelssohn is limited to a Violin Concerto played on a dreamy Italian Midsummer’s Night.
