Alexandra Dovgan - Felix Mendelssohn, Concerto for Piano No.1 in G Minor,

A newer version! About the music: The concerto’s three movements run without a break, each being separated from the other by means of a trumpet fanfare. After the briefest of orchestral introductions, but one not devoid of a certain drama, the piano bursts in and the first movement continues in tempestuous mood for a while until the piano introduces a more graceful idea. When the orchestra plays this new theme the piano flutters around happily, and throughout the movement the piano and orchestra indulge in a kind of non-combative dialogue, never competing with each other for dominance, but sharing the good ideas in equal measure. Among Mendelssohn’s best-loved piano pieces are several sets of “Songs Without Words”, and much of the charming, song-like character of those pieces is found in the lyrical second movement, based on an enchanting theme initially announced by the lower strings. Mendelssohn’s best music is often characterised by a lightne