This album uses the term “discoveries” rather loosely, especially as it applies to the Piano Concerto No. 3 in E minor, for which the third movement existed only as an incomplete sketch. This was reconstructed and finished by Mendelssohn specialist Marcello Bufalini and premiered in 2007. The resulting work is full of buoyant energy, but it’s oddly short on melodic distinction–not a characteristic we normally associate with Mendelssohn. What it does have is some wonderfully bravura piano writing, delivered with engaging brio by Roberto Prosseda, whose masterful technique makes it a bit easier to overlook the music’s shortcomings.
The Symphony No. 3 (“Scottish”) on offer here is the 1842 first version, which contains 111 bars of material not found in the final version–not that these really make much of an impact on the overall work. In fact, the most noticeable difference is in the dramatic descent that leads to the first movement’s quiet coda–a passage that sounds far less interesting and original here than in Mendelssohn’s revision. However the original finale has a much faster coda than we’re used to, making it sound less like a tacked-on afterthought.
The spirit of discovery certainly has inspired Riccardo Chailly, however, as he offers a vibrant and engaging reading of the symphony (far more compelling that his earlier recording). This rendition brims with swift tempos, abrupt dynamic shifts, pungent instrumental sonorities, and crisp and clear ensemble textures. Following the symphony is a 16-bar sketch (from 1830) of the first movement’s main motif which, shorn of its dotted notes, sounds a lot like the old song “How Dry I Am”.
Finally, there’s the Rome version (1831) of the Hebrides Overture (“Fingals Cave”). As is often the case, the first version is longer and tends to ramble a bit, while the orchestration is not so incisive and beguiling as in Mendelssohn’s final product. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra plays magnificently throughout the entire program, and Decca’s spacious, detailed recording captures it all with immediacy and impact. An intriguing if hardly essential release, intended primarily for Mendelssohn lovers.
