| October 2007We don’t hear
much of Mendelssohn’s music for piano and orchestra in our concert halls these days:
on rare occasions the G minor Concerto, more rarely still the Capriccio brillant, and
that’s about it. Although Mendelssohn himself was one of the most admired pianists of
his time, his own concerted works for his own instrument remain for the most part
consigned to that sector of the repertory we encounter by way of recordings. There is
actually more of it than is represented on the present release -- an earlier, broadly
proportioned concerto for piano and strings, a similarly proportioned concerto for piano,
violin and orchestra, and a pair for two pianos and orchestra, all of which have been
recorded more than once, though Mendelssohn regarded them as juvenilia -- but this package
comprises everything in this category which the composer himself offered to the public,
and its appeal goes well beyond the level of mere convenience.
Ragna Schirmer, who from the blurb in the booklet appears
to be about 30, has already made a strong impression on a half-dozen CDs of works ranging
from Bach and Haydn to Corigliano and Schnittke. She has a splendid feeling for
Mendelssohn, delivering the goods with both brilliance and real affection that the music
demands, and the seasoned Günther Herbig is an excellent partner, keeping his fine
orchestra engaged with the soloist on the same levels of vitality, warmth and the sort of
give-and-take that can never be taken for granted. The well-balanced sound puts it all in
the most appealing perspective.
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Mendelssohn - Piano Concertos Nos. 1
& 2; Capriccio brillant; Serenade and Allegro giocoso; Rondo brillant
