Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
String Symphony No. 2 in D major (1821)
00:00 - Allegro
04:04 - Andante
08:13 - Allegro vivace
Performed by the Northern Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Nicholas Ward.
"Mendelssohn wrote his twelve String Symphonies between 1821 and 1823. The first seven were all composed in 1821, with the eighth a year later, dated 27th November 1822, and the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth, completed in March, May, July and September 1823 respectively. A thirteenth symphony, started in December that year, was replaced by a fully orchestrated work, to become his Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 11. The string symphonies were written when Mendelssohn was a pupil of Zelter and reflect the inclinations of the teacher and Mendelssohn's own clear debt to earlier classical models, with an increasing interest in the contrapuntal practices of Bach and Handel. This last is evident in the minor key Andante of the String Symphony No. 2 in D major, with its exploration of contrasting string textures, with a more classical use of imitative counterpoint in the final Allegro vivace." - Keith Anderson
Drawing: Boy Copying the Head of a Roman Emperor, Michael Sweerts
