Album insights
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) achieved legendary status as one of the greatest pianists of the 19th century through his performances and improvisations. However, his piano compositions did not quite match up to the best works of the era. Critics found his published piano sonata lacking in innovation after Beethoven's groundbreaking 32 sonatas. Mendelssohn's absence of large-scale cyclical works akin to Robert Schumann's imaginative compositions for piano further dampened his reputation. While his meticulously crafted Songs Without Words exuded refined Romanticism, they fell short compared to the depth found in Chopin or Brahms' works. His technical demands on pianists did not match the extreme challenges present in Liszt's compositions.
Throughout the 20th century, Mendelssohn's piano music was viewed with skepticism. Various factors like a backlash against Victorianism and the banning of his music by the Nazis due to his Jewish heritage tainted his image. He was mistakenly seen as a provider of cozy salon music, overly reliant on historic influences, and his style characterized as sentimentally sweet but out of touch with contemporary tastes. The revival of Mendelssohn's reputation, spearheaded by Howard Shelley's comprehensive recordings of his solo piano works, offers a chance to reevaluate his extensive piano repertoire. Despite composing nearly 200 piano pieces, only about 70 were published during his lifetime across 17 opuses, with additional pieces released posthumously.
Mendelssohn's renowned repertoire of Songs Without Words, innovative for its time, featured musical gestures deriving their meaning solely from the music, absent of lyrics. His compositions revamped traditional keyboard genres, showcasing a variety of styles and tonalities. The composer's larger-scale piano works included the celebrated "Variations sérieuses" in D minor, Op. 54, a notable departure from his lyrical miniatures, symbolizing a shift towards more serious musical endeavors. Alongside other virtuosos like Chopin and Liszt, Mendelssohn contributed to a Beethoven memorial album, introducing a new dimension to his oeuvre.
His Op. 54 utilizes dissonant themes and complex variations, signaling a departure from his usual style towards a more profound musical expression. The composition features a series of variations culminating in a climactic finale, reminiscent of Beethoven's intricate variations and thematic developments. This piano masterpiece marked Mendelssohn's foray into weightier musical territory, departing from his commonly associated miniature works.