Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Symphony No. 3 [Original recording remastered]

Felix Mendelssohn (Composer), Peter Maag (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Jennifer Vyvyan (Performer), Marion Lowe (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jennifer Vyvyan, Marion Lowe
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Peter Maag
• Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
• Audio CD (June 13, 2000)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00004TEUX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,817 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Classical Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 13-JUN-2000

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Legendary performances, July 25, 2000

By 

D. R. Schryer (Poquoson, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Symphony No. 3 (Audio CD)

Peter Maag is a very fine conductor who has a particular genius for the music of Mendelsssohn and Mozart. His performance of Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony which is presented on this CD won rave reviews when it first appeared on LP three decades ago, and it is still regarded by many as the performance against which all others are judged. The excerpts from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" are equally well done. No matter what other performances of this music you may have, do yourself a favor and get this outstanding CD.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maag and Mendelssohn, November 14, 2002

By 

Peter G. Watchorn (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Symphony No. 3 (Audio CD)

It is little known that the Swiss conductor Peter Maag originally set out to be a concert pianist, his mentor in this regard being the great Swiss/French pianist Alfred Cortot (you can hear Cortot's sense of colour and spaciousness echoed in Maag's conducting, too). One of the greatest and most underrated of conductors, Peter Maag's reputation rests largely (despite his prolific recorded output for small, obscure labels) on a handful of recordings made for Decca in the '50s and '60s: Mozart concertos with Barry Tuckwell (horn) and Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), the "Prague" and 32nd symphonies, Serenata Notturna and the Notturno for four orchestras. However, it is his Mendelssohn: the "Scotch" symphony, the Hebrides Overture and the music for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which has set the standard by which other performances to this day are judged....In this Maag was assisted by the magnificent production/engineering of Ray Minshull/Kenneth Wilkinson ("Scotch" symphony) and James Walker/Cyril Windebank (AMSND), the excellent state of the LSO at the time and, often overlooked, the unbelievably beautiful acoustics of the Methodist Kingsway Hall in London in which Decca's finest sound was achieved (it is now, sadly, unavailable for recording-it should be on the National Trusts's list for preservation as a recording space!). I don't think that this release will ever be surpassed. Buy it and revel in the artistry of Peter Maag and the LSO, as well as the extraordinary recorded sound of the Kingsway Hall, and Decca's marvellous FFRR recording. You won't be disappointed. One of the most sublime moments is the unforgotten Jennifer Vyvyan's singing in "You Spotted Snakes" - simply unsurpassable. The only regret is that the time available to the current cd medium is not sufficient to include Maag's unforgettable "Fingal's Cave" (although that WAS issued on cd in 1995 along with the "Scotch" Symphony and parts of the AMSND in Decca's series "The Classic Sound", which has now been superceded by "Legends"). If you love Mendelssohn, you can't remain without this release - it's simply, for a host of reasons, the best that's ever been (or likely to be) recorded.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The incomparable Peter Maag, March 1, 2008

By 

SwissDave (Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Symphony No. 3 (Audio CD)

Excuse me, but whoever attempts to dissect these performances and/or discuss "minor flaws" overlooks something that in today's world, we cannot afford to miss: these are performances that leave the listener in a Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland like state of wonder. Bean-counting just won't do: try and come up with a more uplifting, invigorating, life-affirming experience than this in the history of recorded music - you can't!

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

P.S.
And yes, there are other very fine recordings at least of the Incidental Music (I have never heard an interpretation of the Scotch Symphony anywhere close to Maag's, including his own digital remake), Previn's from 1976 (EMI/JVC XRCD) and Klemperer's from 1960 (EMI). The problem is, knowing Maag's, will you ever want to listen to another?

P.P.S.
And yes, that Maag's "Fingal's Cave" Hebrides Overture from 1960 is missing is a huge pity, as it is equally irreplaceable. But here at least, his digital remake from 1986, coupled to one of the finest recordings of the Italian Symphony you're ever likely to hear (IMP/Carlton Classics), is another beauty, and it is readily available: Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 "Italian"; Hebrides Overture