Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 1; String Symphonies Nos. 8 & 13 (2006)

The remarkable string of recordings released by conductor Thomas Fey and his Heidelberger Sinfoniker is in no way broken by this Mendelssohn release, which has many of the virtues of Fey's widely hailed recording of the first two Beethoven symphonies. In a way this recording comes as even more of a revelation than Fey's recordings of Haydn and Beethoven works that have of course received other exciting readings -- here Fey brings an intensity to these three youthful Mendelssohn works that many listeners will hardly have ... Read More

The remarkable string of recordings released by conductor Thomas Fey and his Heidelberger Sinfoniker is in no way broken by this Mendelssohn release, which has many of the virtues of Fey's widely hailed recording of the first two Beethoven symphonies. In a way this recording comes as even more of a revelation than Fey's recordings of Haydn and Beethoven works that have of course received other exciting readings -- here Fey brings an intensity to these three youthful Mendelssohn works that many listeners will hardly have suspected was present at all. Here as elsewhere, Fey offers modern-instrument interpretations shaped by his encounter with the historical-performance movement, with a sharp, high-energy approach throughout. The winds and horns are allowed to shine clearly through the texture in the String Symphony No. 8 in D major, performed in a version (by the young Mendelssohn himself) with wind instruments. This work has often been played as a fragile Mozartian holdover, but here Mendelssohn seems... Read Less