Search - Felix [1] Mendelssohn, William Boughton, English String Orchestra :: Mendelssohn: Complete String Symphonies, Vol. 2

Absolutely excellent

Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 07/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the second disc in a 3-CD set; I reviewed the third disc (containing Symphonies Nos. 9, 11 and 12), and much of what I would otherwise say about this CD is contained there. I must stress, however, that especially for these particular symphonies, Boughton's choice to rein in the tempi and keep everything at a moderate speed is nothing short of brilliant. I've never heard a better recording of the Seventh or Eighth symphonies, mainly because I've never been able to hear as many notes in them before! It's so easy for Mendelssohn to sound harried and uptight, just because so many conductors view his music as little more than finger exercises for string players. Boughton obviously doesn't see things that way, and the result is music that doesn't sound frighteningly virtuosic or unapproachable, but friendly and exuberant--exactly the sort of feeling I imagine the young Mendelssohn meant to convey. Of course, as I mention in other reviews, it helps a lot that the English String Orchestra plays with such incredible vigor and spirit; their playing captures the true youthful joy in these symphonies, which many other orchestras don't (since they're trying to find the "adult" virtuosity in the pieces). This is not to say that the English String Orchestra doesn't do a knockout job technically, because they do; they take each of these extremely difficult pieces and make them sound easy to play. But it's the more moderate tempi and the enthusiasm inherent in the playing that truly sets these interpretations of Mendelssohn's string symphonies apart from the rest. In my view, this recording conveys what these symphonies should truly sound like. You can go wrong with a surprising number of Mendelssohn recordings, but definitely not with this one."