‘Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik’ award for Mendelssohn Symphonies No. 3 & 4 album

May 18, 2016

Harmonia mundi’s release of Mendelssohn’s Symphonies No. 3 & 4, conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado, has been awarded the prestigious ‘Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.’ This accolade is the most revered classical recording honor bestowed in Germany, and recognizes this spectacular recording from Mr. Heras-Casado and the Freiberger Barockorchester.

Enjoy a video preview featuring Pablo in interview, detailing the background of this award-winning project.

” ***** – It makes for quite extraordinary listening, the edgy warmth of the period instruments lending probing penetration and utter uniqueness to what we traditionally think of as the accepted Mendelssohn sound. It’s as if the cobwebs and time-honoured nostalgia have been swept aside, leaving the music feeling as fresh as the day it was written. The brazen wind timbres in the opening bars of the “Scottish”, the breezy precision of the strings in the “Italian”, coupled with the fleet-footed, warm-hearted energy of Heras-Casado’s compelling interpretations, and thrill-a-minute playing from the orchestra, make for truly essential listening.”

Ken Walton – The Scotsman

“***** – This is young man’s music, Mendelssohn was between 20 and 21 when he made the grand tours and when Symphony No. 3 was finally completed, Mendelssohn was still only 32. The great virtue of these performances from Pablo Heras-Casado and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra is that by stripping the varnish of these symphonies, they allow us not only to hear timbres closer what Mendelssohn might have done, but they bring out the youthful vigour of the music. These are performances full of dramatic contrasts and romantic ethos, with lots of vivid accents and articulation. Gone is the rather smooth, young-fogey-ish image which the symphonies can sometimes have.”

Robert Hugill – Planet Hugill