Customer Reviews

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Symphony No. 3

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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.

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.

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

Though this recording dates back almost fifty years (1957), for this listener this is the most exciting and enchanting version of Mendelssohn's 'Incidental Music for A Midsummer Night's Dream' available! Peter Maag conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in a fleetingly airy performance that draws so much of the flavor of Shakespeare's comedy that it outshines the competition. Maag also appropriately uses the female voices in two movements as per Mendelssohn's design and the parts of fairies as sung by Jennifer Vyvyan and Marion Lowe (two fine stalwarts from the era of this recording) are incredibly additive. Maag simply understands Mendelssohn's orchestration and draws a superlative performance from his orchestra.

And that is not to say that the Symphony No. 3 in A minor ("Scottish"), Op. 56 is not worthy of attention. Again Maag conducts with finesse and flair and makes the symphony sound as fresh and atmospheric as any conductor's performance today. This is a superb recording, well re-mastered, and at this price it is even a monetary as well as a musical bargain! Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, April 06

There was a time when no collection of Classical Music (on LP at the time) was complete without these recordings. I remember them being standard rainy Sunday afternoon fair at my grandparents house when I was a child. Peter Maag's recordings of Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and the Scottish Symphony are simply superlative. 46 years on, no interpretation has so captured the heart of the works and their romantic intentions as this one.

The only problem is that the Hebrides Overture ("Fingal's Cave") is not included on this issue, it is included on the Decca "Classic Sound" release, but with the excerpts of "A Midsummer Nights Dream" cut down to fit on the one CD. The issue you choose will depend on where your priorities lie, but what a pity both couldn't have been included on the same release even if it had to be stretched to a two-disc set.

I am impressed with this CD. It isn't good, It's exellent! I've put only 5 stars, but this record deserved all the universe or more!

Mendelssohn is one of my favourite composers. His music is very romantic, sometimes strong. And the Symphony nș3 and the "Midsummer Night's Dream" aren't an exception.

About the performers, they are very good. Peter Maag made a very, very good work with the LSO. It's impossible to obtain a better sound. The sopranos Jennifer Vyvyan and Marion Lowe aren't the unknown Callas or Caballé, but they have a good vocal technic. About the Female Chorus of the Royal Opera House, I've never heard any better chorus.

However, the best thing of this CD is the incredible quality of sound. It's perfect like if this record was recorded nowadays and it was recorded on 1,957! With this sound, we only can take a conclusion: Decca's enginners have done an exellent work: a ten for them!

Friend, if you want an advice from me, read this: if you want a good record library, YOU MUST BUY THIS RECORD!!!!!!!

Mendelssohn's Scotch Symphony is Maag's speciality. I had a chance to go to his concert in Tokyo more than 10 years ago, he was able to drive the music even from a local symphony. I love this symphony, and have listened to other conductors, such as Leonard Bernstein, Claudio Abbado, and Herbert Von Karajan, but I believe Peter Maag is the best conductor for the symphony in terms of clarity and appropriate expression.

Peter Maag's version of the Mendelssohn "Scottish" has been a perennial favorite of record reviewers and standard listeners for nearly a half century. I remember when the recording was introduced on the London label here circa 1958-59. I still own the original blue back lp, and I have the current cd, though in the latter format the "Scottish" is coupled with the Midsummer Night's Dream Incidental Music. The lp offered the Hebrides or Fingal's Cave Overture, whose interpretation by Maag I have always preferred to his take of the "Midsummer" music. (Another pleasantry of the lp has been its distinctive front cover picture of a portrait of Felix Mendelssohn.) While I have considered his "Midsummer" to have been a good one, I've never felt it to be any better than that, yet lp collectors have been willing repeatedly to shell out fairly big bucks for the Decca recording of it. Both Szell/Cleveland (dynamic and well played) and Klemperer/Philharmonia (ripe with tonal color) have provided more satisfaction for me. Rather than "Midsummer" on the Maag cd, I would have preferred his reading of the Hebrides Overture with its vivid setting of salty air, sea spray and wind driven waves.

I have always found the "Scottish" or Third Symphony, which really post-dates his "Italian" or Fourth Symphony, more fulfilling than its predecessor. Maag's account certainly deserves the high praise bestowed on it because of certain outstanding features, the most salient among them being a sense of atmospheric "rightness". Of course, the recording has always displayed a marvelous sound quality too. And, I must mention Maag's winsome characterization of the scherzo. Here is perfection ! The mercurial flow of colors and sense of airiness have never been duplicated in any other performance of this piece I have ever heard. Altogether, this disc constitutes a fine investment.

These 1957 and 1960 classic performances of Mendelssohn's masterpieces "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and the third symphony, "Scottish", are simply the best available. Since they first appeared on LP, they have been among the primary choices for classical music connoisseurs.

Listening to them for the first time, one will notice unbeatable, splendid performances, with a perfect grasp of every detail and the overall structure and spirit of these works as well.

The Swiss conductor Peter Maag (1919-2001) is not the most well-known conductor on disc. He studied theology for Karl Barth and Emil Brünner; philosophy for Karl Jaspers; and - most importantly - music for Alfred Cortot (piano), Wilhelm Furtwängler, Ernest Ansermet, and Franz von Hösslin (conducting).

It is possible to trace the influence of Furtwängler in these performances. First, the performances are very powerful, with clear contributions from all departments. Second, the interpretations are significantly individual, demonstrating a superb knowledge of these works but also the hallmark of a great conductor's deliberations.

Now there are many excellent performances of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on CD. Here are my selected comparisons:

Klemperer (1961)
Krauss (1950)
Kubelik (1964)
Previn (1977).

Only Previn's 1977 recording is complete in the sense that all of Mendelssohn's music for Shakespeare's play is included (Kubelik's selection is almost complete). All the others are selections, with Krauss, Klemperer and Maag presenting the same selection:

1. Overture op. 21
2. Scherzo
3. March of the Fairies
4. "You spottd snakes"
5. Intermezzo
6. Nocturne
7. Wedding March
8. Funeral March
9. Dance of the Clowns
10. Finale

This could be seen as the "standard selection". What you get is the core of these outstanding pieces. Of course, Previn's classic recording is unbeatable in terms of completeness. But as a performance, good as it is, it lacks the punch and brio of Maag's interpretation.

Now, even if I cherish and rank Krauss', Klemperer's, and Kubelik's interpretations very highly, I think Maag must be the first choice. The reason is that Mendelssohn's incidental music has never sounded better on record. It is a stunning performance. Sound is fine, despite the age of this recording (51 years old), and the orchestra plays with ultramost dedication. It's a feast for your ears.

The performance of the third symphony, recorded three years later (1960), is in the same class. References include Klemperer (EMI) and Abbado (DG) But Maag is, again, without real competition.

Strongly recommended!

In my opinion this recording of Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony is very good except that the timpani part is almost inaudible. The timpani are important in this symphony; they reinforce the sound at crucial moments. I know what the symphony should sound like, and at those many moments in this recording I have to use my imagination. That is a shame. It is the only thing that keeps this performance from being marvelous.