By Natalia Di Bartolo —
Between history and musical analysis, the masterpieces of a romantic genius who died too early.
Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg in 1809 and died in Leipzig in 1847.
Too soon, you might say. But, moreover, the mind races with other authors of our immense musical heritage: Chopin, Schubert, Bellini: all brilliant and all early disappeared, as in a tragic constant.
Felix, just three years old, followed by her mother, she began to have contact with the music and learned very soon both the composition and conducting, perferzionandosi then in Paris and Berlin. Two cities, two opposites. But nothing happens by chance in life.
As a German by birth and training, he loved and studied Bach, proposing him, even as Orchestra Conductor, at the age of only twenty, “The St Matthew passion” and re-evaluating figure and works; but at the same time, could not not be affected by the verve and joie de vivre of the musical climate of a city like Paris. Each man's son not only of his time, but also of his social circle. His character was smiling and passionate and everything is reflected in his compositions.
Destiny (ever!) wanted to even that young Felix went to Scotland: there, among the steep cliffs plunging into the icy sea, wild Moors and castles populated by heroic ghosts and the atmosphere strongly romantic culture of the moment, he gave breath to all his passion, poured in the Symphony “Scot”.
The “Symphony”, complex composition for orchestra, Mendelssohn (with Schubert and Schumann), he assumed the guise of a composition in three to four movements: allegro in sonata form, a second slow movement, a joke (in substitution of the minuet) and a final fast movement.
The instrumental part of “Scot”like that of all five Mendelssohn Symphonies, he dealt within these canons, and generously, expanding and enriching the instrumentation and generating, then, overabundance of loudness, timbre, colourful, atmosphere.
The “Scot” is really the daughter of Scotland. But where the musician he excelled in recreating the charm of wild nature of beyond-sleeve was talking “The Hebrides” and most importantly, talking “The caves of Fingal”, short and intense symphonic compositions, involving the listener, dragging it between the foam and the green sea algae, mysterious, romantic figures in the arms of imaginary and Celtic mythology.
The activity of the young musician was fervent in the meantime as never before and was frantic. He went to Italy and here is the “Italian Symphony”, quick, mild, rich in folkloric echoes, but deliciously overwhelming. Perfect texture, but melodic imagination and love hand debrided.
Back in Germany, in 1835 he was appointed Director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus concert institution, which soon became the most important European musical Centre.
Wrote to the obsessive rhythms: the austere “Symphony of reformation”inspired by Martin Luther; Concerto for violin and orchestra, unique in his passionate romantic inspiration; famous piano pieces, including “Songs without words” and the “Variations serieuses”; less known, the quartets and sacred music, with the oratory “Elia”.
But man's life is full of big pains: in 1847 died beloved sister Fanny: Felix collapsed and health left him. With her sister died one of his best parts: “profound lightness”. In his memory, he wrote the “Sixth String Quartet”, shadowy and gloomy; a few weeks later, a brain haemorrhage killed him.
Mendelssohn's music is characterized by a large formal clarity and an extraordinary, unique melodic simplicity, mediating he deftly clear classicism of Germanic nature with impetuous impulses of a passionate feeling for nature; passionate Yes, but dreamy; mild, like tightrope walking on the wire: this ability to put in perfect balance parts of different nature and create music not “hard” listening, but of outstanding artistic quality, makes Felix Mendelssohn, despite the brevity of his life, one of the greatest composers of all time.
© Natalia Dantas