Felix Mendelssohn: The Complete String Symphonies Munich Radio Orchestra & Henry Raudales

• Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847): String Symphony No. 1 in C Major, MWV N 1:
• 1 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 1 in C Major, MWV N 1: I. Allegro 03:31
• 2 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 1 in C Major, MWV N 1: II. Andante 02:41
• 3 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 1 in C Major, MWV N 1: III. Allegro 02:44
• String Symphony No. 2 in D Major, MWV N 2:
• 4 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 2 in D Major, MWV N 2: I. Allegro 03:50
• 5 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 2 in D Major, MWV N 2: II. Andante 04:14
• 6 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 2 in D Major, MWV N 2: III. Allegro vivace 01:53
• String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor, MWV N 3:
• 7 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor, MWV N 3: I. Allegro di molto 03:29
• 8 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor, MWV N 3: II. Andante 01:49
• 9 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 3 in E Minor, MWV N 3: III. Allegro 02:17
• String Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, MWV N 4:
• 10 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, MWV N 4: I. Grave - Allegro 03:05
• 11 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, MWV N 4: II. Andante 01:56
• 12 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, MWV N 4: III. Allegro vivace 02:30
• String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, MWV N 5:
• 13 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, MWV N 5: I. Allegro vivace 03:56
• 14 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, MWV N 5: II. Andante 01:29
• 15 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, MWV N 5: III. Presto 03:26
• String Symphony No. 6 in E-Flat Major, MWV N 6:
• 16 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 6 in E-Flat Major, MWV N 6: I. Allegro 03:01
• 17 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 6 in E-Flat Major, MWV N 6: II. Menuetto - Trios I & II 04:46
• 18 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 6 in E-Flat Major, MWV N 6: III. Prestissimo 04:19
• String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7:
• 19 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7: I. Allegro 05:05
• 20 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7: II. Andante 03:30
• 21 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7: III. Menuetto 03:30
• 22 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, MWV N 7: IV. Allegro molto 07:10
• String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8:
• 23 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8: I. Adagio e grave - Allegro 06:58
• 24 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8: II. Adagio 04:11
• 25 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8: III. Menuetto - Trio. Presto 04:04
• 26 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 8 in D Major, MWV N 8: IV. Allegro molto 07:16
• String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9 "Swiss":
• 27 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9 "Swiss": I. Grave - Allegro 09:19
• 28 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9 "Swiss": II. Andante 04:14
• 29 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9 "Swiss": III. Scherzo - Trio più lento 03:40
• 30 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 9 in C Major, MWV N 9 "Swiss": IV. Allegro vivace 10:05
• String Symphony No. 10 in B Minor, MWV N 10:
• 31 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 10 in B Minor, MWV N 10 08:55
• String Symphony No. 11 in F Minor, MWV N 11:
• 32 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 11 in F Minor, MWV N 11: I. Adagio - Allegro molto 11:02
• 33 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 11 in F Minor, MWV N 11: II. Scherzo "Commodo Schweizerlied" 03:54
• 34 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 11 in F Minor, MWV N 11: III. Adagio 06:50
• 35 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 11 in F Minor, MWV N 11: IV. Menuetto - Trio. Allegro moderato 03:38
• 36 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 11 in F Minor, MWV N 11: V. Allegro molto 09:56
• String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, MWV N 12:
• 37 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, MWV N 12: I. Fuga. Grave - Allegro 04:17
• 38 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, MWV N 12: II. Andante 03:08
• 39 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 12 in G Minor, MWV N 12: III. Allegro molto 07:07
• String Symphony No. 13 in C Minor, MWV N 14:
• 40 Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 13 in C Minor, MWV N 14 06:09
• Violin Concerto in D Minor, MWV O 3:
• 41 Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in D Minor, MWV O 3: I. Allegro 08:23
• 42 Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in D Minor, MWV O 3: II. Andante 05:51
• 43 Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in D Minor, MWV O 3: III. Allegro 05:11
• Total Runtime 03:28:19

Info for Felix Mendelssohn: The Complete String Symphonies

This album-set from BR-KLASSIK combines Mendelssohn's twelve string symphonies, his “Symphoniesatz“ in C minor (No. 13) and his early violin concerto in D minor in the form of studio recordings made by the Münchner Rundfunkorchester under its leader Henry Raudales. The violinist has won several awards and made numerous recordings with the orchestra as a conductor and soloist. (The Violin Concerto and Symphonies Nos. 1-6 have already been released separately).

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. Mendelssohn’s early concerto for violin and string orchestra, written at around the same time for his violin teacher Eduard Rietz, was probably played in the same setting. Formally, it owes much to the concertos of Johann Sebastian Bach, but it clearly sounds like Mendelssohn. Ever since their long-lost manuscripts were successfully rediscovered in 1950, Mendelssohn’s early string symphonies have been a fixed part of the string and chamber orchestra repertoire. In the youthful freshness and carefreeness of these early works, one can already hear echoes of the instrumental masterpieces by this important symphonic composer of early Romanticism that were soon to follow.

Munich Radio Orchestra
Henry Raudales, conductor

Henry Raudales
Belgian violinist Henry Raudales was born in Guatemala into a musical family. His father Enrique Raudales, a student of Zino Francescatti, Henryk Szeryng (violin) and Erich Kleiber (conducting), started Henry on the violin at the age of four. Aged seven he played his first public concert with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra which caught the attention of Yehudi Menuhin, who recommended him for a scholarship in London. At age 14 he received the award Young Violinist of the Year by the Panamerican Union.

Henry studied conducting and violin at the conservatory of Guatemala, Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) and the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp with teachers such as Nathan Milstein, Erick Friedman, Henryk Szeryng and Mrs. Kogan.

In 1985 he won the 3rd prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Since then, he has given innumerable concerts and recitals throughout the world, sharing the stage with renowned artists such as Pierre Amoyal, Nigel Kennedy and Yehudi Menuhin. His ties to Belgium remain strong: having played as a concertmaster at the Royal Flemish Opera, he is also a founding member of the Belgian chamber orchestra Enkabara and since 2005 the concertmaster of Brussels Philharmonic. Additionally, since 2001 he has been the concertmaster of the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, with whom he has recorded over 80 CDs, both as soloist as well as conductor. His most recent recordings include a critically acclaimed disc of Mendelssohn’s six symphonies and early Violin Concerto, and albums of the orchestral music of Paul Graener, works by Walter Braunfels and the Concerto Gregoriano for violin by Ottorino Respighi.

Booklet for Felix Mendelssohn: The Complete String Symphonies