Mendelssohn, 5th Symphony

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May 2nd, 2008 by Ellopos Blog | Mail a friend

The first part of Mendelssohn’s 5th symphony (really composed second in order), the Andante - Allegro con fuoco, opens in a mysterious and sweet singing reminding of the Summer dream. The Announcing, pompous, theme, even repeating so many times, makes one skip to the next part immediately, the Allegro vivace, where loquacity competes with boredom. The third part, Andante, balanced and imaginative enough, prepares for a culmination that never comes, because the Choral, Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, returns to the pompous emptiness of the previous parts. This is a work supposed to celebrate the Reformation, but I think Mendelssohn didn’t celebrate anything here. I’m not Karajan’s fan (on the contrary), but all of this doesn’t seem to be Karajan’s fault.

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