NETHERLANDS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, THE

Na zijn zeer succesvolle Beethoven-cyclus richten Jan Willem de Vriend en het Nederlands Symfonie Orkest zich op de vijf symfonieën van Mendelssohn. Begonnen wordt met de minst gespeelde: de tweede met als bijnaam ‘Lobgesang’, door Mendelssohn zelf een cantate-symfonie genoemd. Door de lengte, de solisten en de grote koorpartij werd de symfonie al snel vergeleken met Beethovens negende, en die vergelijking viel in het nadeel van Mendselssohn uit. Toch is het werk zeer de moeite waard stelt De Vriend en deze opname levert daarvoor overtuigend bewijs, niet in de laatste plaats door de bijdrages van sopranen Judith van Wanroij en Machteld Baumans.


Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52 'Lobgesang'
Judith van Wanrooij (sopraan) & Patrick Henckens (tenor)
Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Jan Willem de Vriend

Following their acclaimed cycle of the Beethoven symphonies for Challenge Classics, conductor Jan Willem de Vriend and the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra are now recording the five symphonies of Felix Mendelssohn, beginning with one of the least well-known, the Symphony No. 2 ‘Hymn of Praise’.

The symphonies will be released on hybrid SACDs and the performances will incorporate instrumental techniques from Mendelssohn’s own time. The fingerings and bowings for the edition employed here are by Ferdinand David, a friend of the composer and concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra.

"Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang is undoubtedly the greatest work that has proceeded from any German composer since Beethoven. It is great in plan, great in development, and masterly in detail." [From: Annual report - Sacred Harmonic Society London (1844)]. That the symphony was forgotten, despite such reviews, was largely due to unfavourable comparisons with Beethoven’s Ninth, and the large vocal portion of the work. But de Vriend and his orchestra believe fully in its qualities and give an insightful performance which could well lead to its revaluation.

Artistic director of Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Jan Willem de Vriend has, since 2006, also been the chief conductor and artistic director of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra. De Vriend has been a guest conductor with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, The Hague Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.