Fabio Biondi, Europa Galante - Mendelssohn (2022) [Hi-Res]

Europa Galante has recorded Mendelssohn under Biondi's direction! The program includes works written by Mendelssohn between the ages of 11 and 18.

Biondi says, "It is difficult to distinguish Mendelssohn's 'young' works from his mature works, for Mendelssohn had done everything right from the beginning," and indeed all the works are beautiful, filled with the same spark of genius as the masterpieces for which they are known. The Bach tradition and the freshly burgeoning Romanticism can be felt. The Violin Concerto is a fascinating work in which the solo instrument and string section are treated equally, as in a Baroque concerto, but with beautifully sung melodies interspersed with the solo instrument. Biondi's violin solo bristles with beauty, and the technical parts are full of extravagance as well

The Salve Regina is for solo voice and strings, but the string ensemble sings rather than accompanies, bringing out the beauty of the young Mendelssohn's religious works. Mendelssohn by Biondi and Europa Galante, who knew the Baroque repertoire inside and out, has an even more extraordinary significance and weight, considering that Mendelssohn had great respect for the masters of the past and played an important role in the revival of Bach.