Munich Radio Orchestra & Henry Raudales - Mendelssohn: String Symphonies (2019) [Official Digital Download 24/48]

It was thanks to his father's penchant for organizing musical concerts in his family's Berlin apartment on Sunday mornings that the 11-year-old Felix Mendelssohn began to compose quite a long series of string symphonies, and also that the works were initially performed. The study of music and composition spurred the young composer on greatly; his diligence as well as his youthful creativity developed early, and he made astonishing progress. In 1821, he wrote the first half of his string symphonies, which together took less than two years to complete. During performances that formed part of the concerts at home, he always took over the direction of the chamber orchestra, which consisted of amateur and professional musicians from the Berlin court orchestra.

"They are astonishingly assured pieces, bursting with youthful energy and full of ingenious counterpoint…the strings of the Munich Radio Orchestra under their long-time leader, Henry Raudales, give lively and alert accounts of these precocious pieces, full of imaginative touches." (BBC Music Magazine)

"These works do demand an extra sprinkle of musicianly fairy dust to lift them into the realm of music worthy of our ears beyond their interest as historical documents. So it’s hats off to the Münchner Rundfunkorchester and their concertmaster Henry Raudales for giving us some of that here with their programme-opening D minor Violin Concerto." (Gramophone Magazine)

Tracklist:
1. String Symphony No. 13 in C Minor, MWV N 14 (6:08)
2. I. Adagio e grave - Allegro (6:56)
3. II. Adagio (4:11)
4. III. Menuetto - Trio (4:04)
5. IV. Allegro molto - Più presto (7:12)
6. I. Fuga - Allegro (4:17)
7. II. Andante (3:08)
8. III. Allegro molto - Più allegro (7:06)

Personnel:
Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Henry Raudales, violin, conductor