Saosin

Mendelssohn: Symphonies 3 and 4; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Stefan Sanderling.This CD is from the Royal Philharmonic Masterworks Audiophile Collection. On the case it says, "Prepare yourself to experience music of the highest level beautifully recorded with superb engineering, and performed with a rarely heard abandon that will excite and thrill you over & over again." This CD of two of Mendelssohn's symphonies pretty much lives up to the extravagant promise. There must be a zillion CD"s out there that pair the third and fourth symphonies. I don't think anyone could hear all of them and decide which is best, but this recording by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Stefan Sanderling should certainly be in the running. It definitely has "knock your socks off" sound!Mendelssohn composed his third symphony after a trip to Scotland in 1829; he didn't complete it until 1842. The symphony is unusual in that the four movements are connected and that it ends with a joyous hymn-like chorale which is a modified version of the main theme of the first movement. Sanderling, taking a lively pace and aided by the superlative sound, makes an exciting affair out of a sometimes stodgily performed work. After a tranquil but moody andante intro, the allegro starts calmly enough, but soon there is a tidal wave of highly charged music rushing at the listener. Sanderling takes the repeat, so one gets a chance to be hit by the tidal wave again! The second movement scherzo bubbles by rapidly, but Sanderling does slow down for the heartfelt adagio without allowing it to become funereal. The finale is another rush of energy-charged notes that eventually runs out of steam, but then the clouds part with a shift to A major and the great chorale blazes forth on the trumpets. All in all an exciting and unforgettable performance!The well-known "Italian" symphony was conceived after Mendelssohn's trip to Italy in 1830-31 and completed in its original form in 1833. Mendelssohn revised it in 1837 and planned to make further changes but never got around to it. He described the symphony as reflecting sunny, colorful Italy, which he loved. Sanderling conducts this bright and mostly cheerful work in a more traditional way, but he takes the concluding saltarello as rapidly as I've ever heard it performed -- how did the strings manage to keep up with this manic pace? It all fits together wonderfully, though, full of nervous energy and sparkling sound.I think this CD with these energetic performances is definitely a winner, though some may think that Sanderling goes too quickly in some of the movements. The impressive sound quality is a great additional asset.