Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music - Mendelssohn

In their new series EuroArts presents audio-visual concert guides to masterpieces of classical music. The guides allow listeners to experience and enjoy great music from the Baroque to the present day in an entirely new way by offering a combination of documentary material and a complete performance of the featured work. Twenty famous masterpieces by the most important composers are brought closer to the viewer through first class concert broadcasts. The Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and other eminent musical bodies join forces with acclaimed experts, famous soloists and outstanding conductors to highlight the distinctive features of compositions. Examples from the musical scores help the viewer to follow the themes and rhythms and to understand the structure of the work. Each introductory feature is clearly and informatively designed. New filmed material documenting the birthplaces of the composers and locations of composition is combined with historic film material, works of art and original manuscripts and autograph scores. Thus the viewer goes on a journey back to the time and place of composition and is informed about the life of the composer while receiving a complete introduction to the work. Each film in the series features a half hour introductory feature and a full concert performance! Frank Michael Erben, first violinist of the famous Gewandhaus Quartet, joins the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig under Kurt Masur in a recording made in May 1997. Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) was the orchestra’s first conductor and the Gewandhaus Orchestra – proud of its long history – is an appropriate choice for an introduction to a work by the composer. With his famous Violin Concerto in E minor the composer forged a link between Classicism and Romanticism. Frank Michael Erben and the musicologist Armin Koch reveal how the composer combined the best of both worlds and created a musically rich and virtuoso piece that remains a popular favourite with audiences until today. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s violin concerto belongs to the standard repertoire of every violinist. It is famous for its balance between rich melodies and virtuoso sections. In an interview, the violinist Frank-Michael Erben discusses and plays his favorite passages, identifying the suspenseful moments of the work. The German musicologist Armin Koch provides his analysis.