Symphony No. 3 (Mendelssohn)

Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op 56 "Scottish " (MWV N 18) by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy is a romantic symphony in four movements. The performance lasts about 40 minutes.

Historical Background

In the spring of 1829 the then 20 -year-old Mendelssohn traveled for the first time the British Isles. After a series of successful concerts in London he made in July, accompanied by his friend Karl Klingemann to Scotland in order to visit the historic sites around Mary Stuart, the northern Highlands and the Hebrides. The dark nature of the country moved to Mendelssohn immediately. His impressions he worked musically in the overture The Hebrides and just in the 3rd Symphony, to which he recorded still in 1829 the first sketches.

Nevertheless, this work by awarding him the longest occupied of all his symphonies: only in 1842, ie thirteen years later, he completed the work. It is thus the last of Mendelssohn's five symphonies, but still received a lower numbering, since the earlier created "Italian " and the " Reformation Symphony" were not published until later.

The premiere took place on March 3, 1842 at the Leipzig Gewandhaus under the direction of the composer.

Construction

Occupation

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings.

Description of the work

Mendelssohn uses a classical orchestra occupied for his composition, but try the traditional four-movement structure of the classical symphony partly overcome by letting attacca (without break) music the four movements and the symphonic cycle connects as a single unit.

The first movement is in sonata form and begins with a slow introduction that Mendelssohn had written down or 1829 in Scotland as a sketch. The actual head set at a fast pace is kept in dark and melancholic minor.

Follows him as the second movement Scherzo, which is based in its pentatonic to folkloric role models, but without quoting original Scottish tunes directly.

The subsequent cantabile slow movement is again in sonata allegro form.

The final movement begins with a distinctive main theme in the violins with sharp Doppelpunktierungen, which runs through the whole set and the final of the plant can become a missed - festive apotheosis.

Samples

Recording of the Fulda Symphonic Orchestra (2003 ), source: http://www.musopen.com.