Felix Mendelssohn: Symphonie no. 4 en La Majeur "Italienne", Op. 90

by Jordi Savall, Le Concert des Nations

Overview

Jordi Savall's conducting efforts continue to expand into the 19th century with these performances of Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 ("Italian"). How far will it go? Debussy? There is certainly room for historical instrument performances of Mendelssohn's symphonies, and Savall fans will welcome this one for several reasons. One attraction is the presence of two versions of the work. Although the symphony was a major hit in its 1833 London premiere, Mendelssohn was dissatisfied with it and made various revisions to the last three movements a year later. This 1834 version has never really caught on; an early critic was Fanny Mendelssohn, and it was not published until 2001. It won't replace the original version, but it is interesting to hear the composer adding transitions and new orchestral colors, wrestling with the material in an attempt to generate Beethovenian logic. The performances themselves will be familiar in their outlines to those who have followed Savall's excursions into the Classical and Romantic eras with his orchestra, Le Concert des Nations. His string section is quite small (7-6-5-5), and he takes the opportunity to highlight the work of his edgy period winds and brass, offering a rather deliberate first movement as part of the concept. This doesn't work particularly well in this work, in which great Mendelssohnian string tunes are key to the structure. The strings are simply overwhelmed, although lots of counterpoint is revealed. Savall does manipulate the balances a bit; hear how he lets the triplet subsidiary theme in the first movement poke its head out unexpectedly. At times, though, one will wonder what happened to the strings. Nothing this great conductor does is without value, and he certainly contributes to the ongoing dialogue about this popular work, but this may not go down as Savall's best essay in music of this period, although it will certainly interest his fans. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	09/29/2023
Label:	Alia Vox
UPC:	8435408099554
Rank:	9364

Tracks

1. Symphonie no. 4 en La Majeur "Italienne", Op. 90 (Version finale de 1834)~I. Allegro vivace
2. Symphonie no. 4 en La Majeur "Italienne", Op. 90 (Version finale de 1834)~II. Andante con moto
3. Symphonie no. 4 en La Majeur "Italienne", Op. 90 (Version finale de 1834)~III. Con moto moderato
4. Symphonie no. 4 en La Majeur "Italienne", Op. 90 (Version finale de 1834)~IV. Saltarello. Presto
5. Symphonie no. 4 en La Majeur "Italienne", Op. 90 (Première version de 1833)~I. Allegro vivace
6. Symphonie no. 4 en La Majeur "Italienne", Op. 90 (Première version de 1833)~II. Andante con moto
7. Symphonie no. 4 en La Majeur "Italienne", Op. 90 (Première version de 1833)~III. Con moto moderato
8. Symphonie no. 4 en La Majeur "Italienne", Op. 90 (Première version de 1833)~IV. Saltarello. Presto

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jordi Savall   Primary Artist,Conductor
Le Concert des Nations   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Jordi Savall   Liner Notes
Manuel Mohino   Editing,Mastering
David Galan   Engineer
Jacqueline Minett   Liner Note Translation
Gilbert Bofill i Ball   Liner Note Translation
Toni Figueras   Engineer
Juan Gabriel Lopez Guix   Liner Note Translation
Agnes Prunes   Realization
Toni Penarroya   Photography
Jerome Bastianelli   Liner Notes
James Warren Childe   Paintings
Eduardo Nestor Gomez-Scarantino   Design
Claudia Kalasz   Liner Note Translation
Paolino Nappi   Liner Note Translation
Bruno Moussier   Photography
Felix Mendelssohn   Composer