What are you listening to now?

[Zevy]

Mendelssohn piano quartets - when you consider that these 4 quartets were written between the ages of 12 and 15, you realise that he was the most precociously gifted prodigy the world has seen, more advanced even than Mozart at that age as Goethe (who knew both) acknowledged. Incidentally the image on the cd was also by Mendelssohn - he was also a gifted artist!

More advanced than Mozart at that age? Mendelssohn was a great composer, but I respectfully take issue with the comparison.

[Peter]

More advanced than Mozart at that age? Mendelssohn was a great composer, but I respectfully take issue with the comparison.

After Goethe heard some of the 12 year old Mendelssohn’s own compositions, including a piano quartet, he declared his judgement to Zelter: “What your pupil already accomplishes bears the same relation to the Mozart of that time, that the cultivated talk of a grown-up person does to the prattle of a child.” Jump forward a few years to the 16 year old Mendelssohn and you have the string octet and the following year the Overture to a Midsummer night's dream. There is no Mozart work of equal stature at that age - his first really great work is the Piano concerto no.9 K.271 written when he was 20.

[Quijote]

Mendelssohn piano quartets - when you consider that these 4 quartets were written between the ages of 12 and 15, you realise that he was the most precociously gifted prodigy the world has seen, more advanced even than Mozart at that age as Goethe (who knew both) acknowledged. Incidentally the image on the cd was also by Mendelssohn - he was also a gifted artist!

Very nice, thanks for posting. I never realised that FM was also a talented visual artist. Compare that to LvB's mastery of maths - NOT !!

[Zevy]

After Goethe heard some of the 12 year old Mendelssohn’s own compositions, including a piano quartet, he declared his judgement to Zelter: “What your pupil already accomplishes bears the same relation to the Mozart of that time, that the cultivated talk of a grown-up person does to the prattle of a child.” Jump forward a few years to the 16 year old Mendelssohn and you have the string octet and the following year the Overture to a Midsummer night's dream. There is no Mozart work of equal stature at that age - his first really great work is the Piano concerto no.9 K.271 written when he was 20.

Goethe was a great poet.
Mozart's Piano Concerto "#5" in D major as well as his early string quartets are no slouches. I could list other examples as well.
As I said, I respectfully disagree.

[Peter]

Goethe was a great poet.
Mozart's Piano Concerto "#5" in D major as well as his early string quartets are no slouches. I could list other examples as well.
As I said, I respectfully disagree.

And I think we can respectfully agree they were both extraordinary human beings who both gave us wonderful music.

[Chris]

Goethe was a great poet.
Mozart's Piano Concerto "#5" in D major as well as his early string quartets are no slouches. I could list other examples as well.
As I said, I respectfully disagree.

I was just listening to the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 5, and I agree, it is a wonderful work. Perhaps not at the level of No. 9, but there are some great things there.

[Peter]

I was just listening to the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 5, and I agree, it is a wonderful work. Perhaps not at the level of No. 9, but there are some great things there.

Yes very enjoyable. Here is the slow movement from Mendelssohn's early string symphony no.12.

[Zevy]

And I think we can respectfully agree they were both extraordinary human beings who both gave us wonderful music.

Agreed!

[Peter]

Mendelssohn Psalm 42 - rarely heard, but a work he valued above his other compositions.

[Chris]

Mendelssohn Psalm 42 - rarely heard, but a work he valued above his other compositions.

A great work, and it's a shame it is not more popular. Maybe it just needs one or two champions to program it more often, and it will catch on.

[Sorrano]

Exploring Music is featuring the New York Philharmonic and presenting excerpts of the first concert from December of 1842. They performed Beethoven's 5th Symphony, which was the second time it was performed in this country. Last night they played the 1st movement with Kurt Masur at the helm. I thought it was a pretty good performance.

[Megan]

Scriabin Preludes.

http://youtu.be/bcZc5cDZOfM

[Peter]

Tchaikovsky Hymn of the Cherubin.

[Chris]

Tchaikovsky Hymn of the Cherubin.

I don't think I have ever heard this before, but it is quite beautiful, and now I think I will have to listen to all of Op. 41!

[Sorrano]

I caught a selection of the Liturgy (Op. 41) and was blown away with its beauty. I ordered a CD and it is a work that needs more attention! Wonderful choral music!