Mendelssohn - Symphony no.2 ‘Lobgesang’ (SACD + Blu-ray Audio)
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Label: LSO Live
Cat No: LSO0803
Format: SACD + Blu-ray Audio
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Vocal/Choral
Release Date: 1st September 2017
Contents
Artists
Lucy Crowe (soprano)Jurgita Adamonyte (mezzo-soprano)
Michael Spyres (tenor)
Monteverdi Choir
London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor
John Eliot GardinerWorks
Symphony no.2 in B flat major, op.52 'Lobgesang' (Hymn of Praise)Artists
Lucy Crowe (soprano)Jurgita Adamonyte (mezzo-soprano)
Michael Spyres (tenor)
Monteverdi Choir
London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor
John Eliot GardinerAbout
Bringing his acclaimed Mendelssohn cycle to a rousing conclusion, Sir John Eliot Gardiner presents the composer’s symphony-cantata, ‘Lobgesang’, in his first ever performance of the work. Three world-class soloists join the LSO and his own Monteverdi Choir for this recording for LSO Live. Mendelssohn wrote that the piece “lies very near my heart”, and with its stately grandeur and religiosity, plus its sheer magnitude, twice the length of any of his other symphonies, it stands amongst his most impressive works. Posthumously categorised by editors as his second symphony, it is also known as ‘Hymn of Praise’.
In an interview for The Arts Desk, John Eliot said: “It’s a piece I’ve been looking at for years, and I’ve never conducted it. I was a bit sceptical at first, thinking that it was the torso of a symphony with a cantata bolted on. But it isn’t. It’s a delight. It has a lot of the inventiveness and sheer melodic flow of the young Mendelssohn and it’s perfectly calibrated and constructed.”
Presented as a Pure Audio Blu-ray and SACD Hybrid package – which includes master quality audio and downloadable content – this is the perfect end to Gardiner’s exploration of Mendelssohn. Summing up his feelings at the end of the project, he said: “My admiration for Mendelssohn has gone up enormously, as a result of really digging deep into these symphonies... it’s so rewarding with this group of players, they’re willing to go to the nth degree, in terms of detail of phrasing and articulation, and that’s a joy.”
“Gardiner brought his LSO Mendelssohn series to a rousing conclusion... performed with enormous conviction and
swagger, delivering old certainties of sacred and secular pride in a way to make your ears prick.” – Classical Source
“His [Michael Spyres] German diction was furthermore crystal clear. Soprano Lucy Crowe gleamed in the middle passage... while mezzo Jurgita Adamonyté’s voice effused a luminous quality.” – Bachtrack
In an interview for The Arts Desk, John Eliot said: “It’s a piece I’ve been looking at for years, and I’ve never conducted it. I was a bit sceptical at first, thinking that it was the torso of a symphony with a cantata bolted on. But it isn’t. It’s a delight. It has a lot of the inventiveness and sheer melodic flow of the young Mendelssohn and it’s perfectly calibrated and constructed.”
Presented as a Pure Audio Blu-ray and SACD Hybrid package – which includes master quality audio and downloadable content – this is the perfect end to Gardiner’s exploration of Mendelssohn. Summing up his feelings at the end of the project, he said: “My admiration for Mendelssohn has gone up enormously, as a result of really digging deep into these symphonies... it’s so rewarding with this group of players, they’re willing to go to the nth degree, in terms of detail of phrasing and articulation, and that’s a joy.”
“Gardiner brought his LSO Mendelssohn series to a rousing conclusion... performed with enormous conviction and
swagger, delivering old certainties of sacred and secular pride in a way to make your ears prick.” – Classical Source
“His [Michael Spyres] German diction was furthermore crystal clear. Soprano Lucy Crowe gleamed in the middle passage... while mezzo Jurgita Adamonyté’s voice effused a luminous quality.” – Bachtrack
Sound/Video
Paused
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1No.1 Sinfonia - Maestoso con moto
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2No.1 Sinfonia - Allegretto un poco agitato
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3No.1 Sinfonia - Adagio religioso
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4No.2 Allegro moderato maestoso 'Alles, was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn'
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5No.2 Molto piu moderato ma con fuoco 'Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele'
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6No.3 Recitativo 'Saget es, die ihr erlost seid durch den Herrn'
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7No.3 Allegro moderato 'Er zahlet unsre Tranen'
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8No.4 Chor - A tempo moderato 'Sagt es, die ihr erloset seid'
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9No.5 Andante 'Ich harrete des Herrn'
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10No.6. Allegro un poco agitato 'Stricke des Todes hatten uns umfangen'
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11No.7 Allegro maestoso e molto vivace 'Die Nacht ist vergangen'
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12No.8 Choral - Andante con moto 'Nun danket alle Gott'
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13No.8 Un poco piu animato 'Lob, Ehr und Preis sei Gott'
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14No.9 Andante sostenuto assai 'Drum sing' ich mit meinem Liede ewig dein Lob'
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15No.10 Schlusschor - Allegro non troppo 'Ihr Volker! bringet her dem Herrn'
Europadisc Review
This is the concluding instalment of John Eliot Gardiner’s Mendelssohn cycle with the London Symphony Orchestra, on the orchestra’s own label. Unlike the ‘Reformation Symphony, the Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise) was one of Mendelssohn’s most popular works during his lifetime, but fell into disfavour following his death. A hybrid ‘symphony-cantata’ that opens with a three-movement Sinfonia before a nine-movement cantata-cum-oratorio, all of which runs continuously, it’s a tricky work to bring off. Gardiner and the LSO, with his own Monteverdi Choir and an accomplished trio of soloists, achieve it with real élan, the orchestra stylishly informed, the vocal contributions (to biblical and chorale texts) remarkably involving. It’s capped with a gripping account of the closing chorus (shades of Handel and Haydn never far away). Speeds are fleet (a full ten minutes shorter than Abbado’s 1985 account with the same orchestra!), but nothing ever sounds rushed, and Mendelssohn’s gifts not just as an orchestrator but as a vocal and choral composer shine through in every bar. Those who have been collecting Gardiner’s cycle can happily snap this up without a moment’s hesitation.
Reviews
The last instalment in John Eliot Gardiner’s bracing Mendelssohn cycle with the London Symphony Orchestra marks up a significant success. ... Aided by fine soloists and, above all, Gardiner’s excellent Monteverdi Choir, this performance has a vitality that compels attention. ... The final choral fugue is genuinely uplifting, a splendid way to conclude Gardiner’s splendid cycle. Mark PullingerGramophone October 2017
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