Mendelssohn
Symphonies Nos 1-5; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 61
Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich/Paavo Järvi
Alpha Classics ALPHA 1004 230 mins (4 discs)
Paavo Järvi became chief conductor of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in 2019, and the five years since have yielded gripping recordings of Tchaikovsky and Bruckner symphonies. This new release of Mendelssohn’s complete symphonies confirms the symbiotic relationship Järvi has forged with the orchestra, and is jam-packed with exciting, at times electrifying, music-making.
The minor-key opening movement of Symphony No. 1 is a statement of intent, lithe and surgingly athletic, though not at the expense of brighter lyrical moments. Ensemble is bracingly tight without seeming over-regimented, even in Järvi’s fizzing account of the Allegro con fuoco finale. Symphony
No. 4 launches in similar fashion, and its Saltarello finale boasts brilliantly agile wind playing and a bristling energy which grips from start to finish.
The inclusion on Disc 4 of the incidental music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a considerable bonus. Dreamier accounts of the famous Notturno are available, but the animation and unflagging articulacy of the Tonhalle players make this another performance to savour.
Nowhere, perhaps, is Järvi’s zeal for Mendelssohn more evident than in Symphony No. 2, a long work where maintaining attention can be difficult. Here the 40-minute sequence of concluding vocal movements is triumphantly sustained, with a blazing contribution from the Zürcher Sing-Akademie.
Many rival versions of this music exist, but it’s difficult to think of any which surpass Järvi’s for insight, immediacy and sheer enjoyment. Terry Blain
