Bringing his acclaimed Mendelssohn cycle to a rousing conclusion, John Eliot Gardiner presents the composer’s symphony-cantata, Lobgesang. Mendelssohn wrote that the piece ‘lies very near my heart’, and with its stately grandeur and religiosity, plus its sheer magnitude – double the length of any of his other symphonies – it stands amongst his most impressive works. Posthumously categorised by editors as the composer’s second symphony, it is also known as a ‘song of praise’ and three talented soloists join the LSO and the world-class Monteverdi Choir for this recording.

While Gardiner is well-versed in the German’s output, this release documents his first performance of the work. In an interview for The Arts Desk, he said: It’s a piece I’ve been looking at for years, and I’ve never conducted it. I was a bit sceptical at first, thinking that it was the torso of a symphony with a cantata bolted on. But it isn’t. It’s a delight. It has a lot of the inventiveness and sheer melodic flow of the young Mendelssohn and it’s perfectly calibrated and constructed.’

This is the perfect end to an exploration of a composer whose music known the world over, but also has so much more to offer. Summing up his feelings at the end of the project, Gardiner said: ‘My admiration for Mendelssohn has gone up enormously, as a result of really digging deep into these symphonies...it’s so rewarding with this group of players, they’re willing to go to the last enth degree, in terms of detail of phrasing and articulation, and that’s a joy.’

Composer Felix Mendelssohn
Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Performers London Symphony Orchestra, Monteverdi Choir
SoloistsLucy Crowe, Michael Spyres, Jurgita Adamonytė

1. No. 1 Sinfonia - Maestoso con moto
2. No. 1 Sinfonia - Allegretto un poco agitato
3. No. 1 Sinfonia - Adagio religioso
4. No. 2 Allegro moderato maestoso "Alles, was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn"
5. No. 2 Molto più moderato ma con fuoco "Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele"
6. No. 3 Recitativo "Saget es, die ihr erlöst seid durch den Herrn"
7. No. 3 Allegro moderato "Er zählet unsre Tränen"
8. No. 4 Chor. A tempo moderato "Sagt es, die ihr erlöst seid"
9. No. 5 Andante "Ich harrete des Herrn"
10. No. 6 Allegro un poco agitato "Stricke des Todes hatten uns umfangen"
11. No. 7 Allegro maestoso e molto vivace "Die Nacht ist vergangen"
12. No. 8 Choral. Andante con moto "Nun danket alle Gott"
13. No. 8 Un poco più animato "Lob, Ehr und Preis sei Gott"
14. No. 9 Andante sostenuto assai "Drum sing' ich mit meinem Liede ewig dein Lob"
15. No. 10 Schlusschor. Allegro non troppo "Ihr Völker! bringet her dem Herrn"

Release Date 8 September 2017
SACD LSO0803 | 0822231180326
Digital LSO0803-D | 0822231180364

Producer Nicholas Parker
Engineers Neil Hutchinson and Jonathan Stokes
for Classic Sound Ltd

Recorded 16th & 20th October 2016, Barbican, London

DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording

Booklet in English, French & German

Texts in German and English. Sung in German

FLAC - 24bit 96kHz - Compatible with Windows and Android devices
MP3 - 320kbps - Universal compatibility
SACD - Compatible with all CD players