It was Birmingham鈥檚 Town Hall where Felix Mendelssohn chose to premiere his mighty oratorio Elijah in 1846.
By then the city venue had become a familiar place to the German composer who had performed here several times during the 1830s and 1840s.
Now the CBSO will be holding a short series of concerts at the Town Hall to celebrate Mendelssohn鈥檚 music with current principal guest conductor Edward Gardner, conducting a complete cycle of all five symphonies by the composer, along with other works by him.
鈥淭he well-known image of Mendelssohn is of the prodigy and musical polyglot, able to sight-read Bach fugues in any key, an incredible compositional facility and awesome melodist,鈥 says Edward, who is currently rehearsing for English National Opera鈥檚 new production of Beethoven鈥檚 Fidelio.
鈥淚 agree with all this, but there鈥檚 so much more 鈥 his religious duality, with such a strong Jewish background and subsequent Lutheran beliefs, which spawn the great Reformation Symphony. There鈥檚 also a neurosis about his work, with revisions, and the disowning of early compositions. I find this all adds up to a far more complex character than we generally consider, and in many ways it confirms him as a real early Romantic composer.
鈥淭here鈥檚 intimacy and delicacy in these works, alongside the dramatic gestures, and I feel too large a hall can dwarf this. It鈥檚 also one of the first halls I heard the CBSO in, when I was still a chorister at Gloucester cathedral, so it鈥檚 a privilege for me to conduct there for the first time.鈥
And as he conducts, Edward Gardner will be facing the organ which Mendelssohn actually had installed in that position, and on which he performed to such acclaim.
鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly proud to be performing his works in this environment that he loved so much, and I鈥檓 sure that will inform all of our music-making with a sense of immediacy to this great composer,鈥 Edward declares.
鈥淗e had such respect for Birmingham, and the people who performed his music here, and the ovations he himself received. It鈥檚 so exciting to be re-creating this atmosphere in what could be considered 鈥榟is鈥 hall.鈥
Edward talks of Mendelssohn鈥檚 five symphonies, and how they stand in relation to the development of the form during the 19th century.
鈥淢y knee-jerk reaction would be to say they stand on their own, but it鈥檚 a little more complex than that,鈥 Edward continues.
鈥淭he thrust of some of the allegro first and last movements have an air of Haydn and also a little bit of Beethoven, the stormy opening of the first symphony, or the allegro of the Reformation 鈥 I hear both composers.
鈥淗owever in the lyrical slow movements, Mendelssohn鈥檚 extraordinary melodic genius comes out 鈥 the achingly beautiful slow movement of the third symphony for instance, that is high romance, and then I feel we鈥檙e looking forward to Schumann, Weber, and eventually Wagner (and it鈥檚 no coincidence that Wagner uses the recurring motif in the Reformation for his last opera, Parsifal) We tend to think of the great Romantic composers as writing angst-ridden dark movements, but the warmer sound and harmonies of Felix Mendelssohn are equally in this tradition.鈥
Edward laments the absence of Elijah from the current series. It鈥檚 a pity it can鈥檛 be fitted in as well.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 true, but I鈥檓 sure we can find a place for this somewhere down the line! As I study the symphonies, I鈥檓 constantly wondering at the impact Elijah must have made in that comparatively intimate space- it must have sent the fear of God into everyone present!鈥
* Edward Gardner conducts the CBSO in Mendelssohn at Birmingham Town Hall on October 19 (3pm), October 24 (2.15pm) and at Symphony Hall on February 13 (7.30pm). Details on 0121 780 3333.
