Felix Mendelssohn: The Symphonies

Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony was one of the first works of classical music I got acquainted with, because it happened to be on a tape my parents had bought. However, just like Gustav Holst's "The Planets", I hadn't been listening to it in years until I finally bought a recording myself. I opted for the box set of Mendelssohn's complete symphonies on Decca, not only because it was pretty cheap, but also because it had been widely recommended.

I can indeed find no fault whatsoever with the interpretations of the Vienna Philharmonic and their conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi. The inclusion of three overtures and the curious cantata "The First Wapurgis Night", based upon a poem by Goethe, is also a great plus (The Walpurgis Night, by the way, is the night of the year when, according to legend, all witches meet for a celebration on Brocken mountain in Germany). My favourite of the five symphonies is - surprise, surprise - definitely the rather melancholic and aggressive "Scottish" 3rd, followed by the 1st. The other three seem too "Romantic" to me, lacking in real substance.