LSO Live presents Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s award-winning Mendelssohn series together in its entirety for the first time. Captured over three seasons during critically-acclaimed concerts in the Barbican Hall, this box set offers listeners the definitive account of Gardiner’s unique take on Mendelssohn with the London Symphony Orchestra: a blend between the conductor’s wide-ranging expertise and the Orchestra’s signature sound.

This box set includes celebrated interpretations of the complete Mendelssohn symphonies, as well as three of the composer’s most popular overtures and Gardiner’s landmark version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, all in ultra high-definition stereo and multichannel audio across four Hybrid SACDs and one Pure Audio Blu-ray. 

Reflecting on this exploration of the great German composer with the LSO, Gardiner said: ‘My admiration for Mendelssohn has gone up enormously as a result of this project... It’s so rewarding working with this group of players; they’re willing to go to the last nth degree, in terms of phrasing and articulation, and that’s a joy.’

Composer Felix Mendelssohn
Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Soloists Lucy Crowe, Michael Spyres, Jurgita Adamonyte
Performers London Symphony Orchestra, Monteverdi Choir, Ceri-lyn Cissone, Alexander Knox, Frankie Wakefield

Volume 1
Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 11
1. I. Allegro di molto
2. II. Andante
3. III. Scherzo. Sempre pianissimo e leggiero (1829 London Version)
4. III. Menuetto. Allegro molto (1824 Original Version)
5. IV. Allegro con fuoco

Symphony No. 2, Op. 52 "Lobgesang"
6. I. Sinfonia a) Maestoso con moto
7. I. Sinfonia b) Allegretto un poco agitato
8. I. Sinfonia c) Adagio religioso
9. II. a) Allegro moderato maestoso "Alles, was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn"
10. II. b) Molto più moderato ma con fuoco "Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele"
11. III. a) Recitativo "Saget es, die ihr erlöst seid durch den Herrn"
12. III. b) Allegro moderato "Er zählet unsre Tränen"
13. IV. Chor. A tempo moderato "Sagt es, die ihr erlöst seid"
14. V. Andante "Ich harrete des Herrn"
15. VI. Allegro un poco agitato "Stricke des Todes hatten uns umfangen"
16. VII. Allegro maestoso e molto vivace "Die Nacht ist vergangen"
17. VIII. a) Choral. Andante con moto "Nun danket alle Gott"
18. VIII. b) Un poco più animato "Lob, Ehr und Preis sei Gott"
19. IX. Andante sostenuto assai "Drum sing' ich mit meinem Liede ewig dein Lob"
20. X. Schlusschor. Allegro non troppo "Ihr Völker! bringet her dem Herrn"

21. Overture Ruy Blas, Op. 9522 

Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 "Scottish"
22. I. Andante con moto - Allegro un poco agitato
23. II. Vivace non troppo
24. III. Adagio
25. IV. Allegro vivacissimo - Allegro maestoso assai


Volume 2
Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 "Italian"
1. I. Allegro vivace
2. II. Andante con moto
3. III. Menuetto. Con moto moderato
4. IV. Finale (Saltarello). Presto

5. Overture Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Op. 276 
Symphony No. 5, Op. 107 "The Reformation"
6. I. Andante - Allegro con fuoco
7. II. Allegro vivace
8. III. Andante
9. IV. Choral  "Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott" (Andante con moto - Allegro vivace - Allegro maestoso)

10. The Hebrides, Op. 26 "Fingal's Cave"

Overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Op. 21
11. Allegro di molto
12. Tempo primo

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Incidental Music, Op. 61
13. "Ay Me! For Aught That I Could Ever Read"
14. No. 1, Scherzo
15. No. 2, L'istesso tempo
16. No. 2a, Allegro vivace
17. No. 3, Lied mit Chor
18. No. 4, Andante
19. No. 5, Allegro appassionato
20. No. 7, Nocturne. Con moto tranquillo
21. No. 8, Andante
22. No. 9, Hochzeitmarsch "Wedding March" - No. 12, Allegro vivace come primo
23. Finale. Allegro di molto

Release Date 21 September 2018
SACD LSO0826 | 0822231182627
Digital LSO0826-D | 0822231182665

Producer Nicholas Parker
Engineers Classic Sound Ltd

Recorded live at the Barbican, London

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