Various Composers - The Star of Mendelssohn (Marina Baranova)

Information

1. Felix Mendelssohn - "The Midwinter Night's Dream" Christmas Scherzo
2. Felix Mendelssohn - Songs With Words: Greensleeves, Op. 19 No. 6
3. Felix Mendelssohn - Songs With Words: Ihr Töchter Zions, Op. 67 No. 2.
4. Felix Mendelssohn - Songs With Words: Auld Lang Syne, Op. 30 No. 1
5. Felix Mendelssohn - Es wird ein Stern aus Jacob Aufgehn
6. Felix Mendelssohn - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Improvisation in E Major
7. Felix Mendelssohn - Trinklied - Paraphrase
8. Felix Mendelssohn - Songs With Words: O come, All Ye Faithfull extended, Op. 19 No. 1
9. Traditional - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (2025 Version)
10. Franz Liszt - Auf Flügeln des Gesanges (after Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy)
11. Franz Liszt - Christmas Tree: Carillon
12. Franz Liszt - Christmas Tree: In dulci jubilo /The Sheperds at the Manger
13. Marina Baranova - The Sense of Cohesion
14. Felix Mendelssohn - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Improvisation in F-Sharp Major

Marina Baranova, piano

Date: 2025

Label: Berlin Classics

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Mendelssohn’s music reflects a dual heritage: firmly grounded in German Romanticism and shaped by the legacy of Bach and Beethoven, yet also influenced by his Jewish origins and the tension between these identities. This blend becomes especially vivid at Christmas, where his works form a bridge between cultures, traditions, and spiritual perspectives. The album highlights this mixture of warmth, light, and introspection, presenting Mendelssohn’s radiant musical language in a way that captures both the festive spirit and the deeper emotional resonance of the season.

Marina Baranova (born 1981 in Kharkov) is a German-Ukrainian pianist and composer shaped by the rigorous Eastern European school and later refined by Wladimir Krainew, which led her to study in Hanover. Her classical foundation is paired with curiosity for jazz, world music, and contemporary styles. A collaboration with percussionist Murat Coşkun sparked her composing career with the 2013 album Firebird. Baranova’s works blend minimalism, jazz, and Romanticism into a meditative, individual voice, reflected in projects such as Hypersuite, Unfolding Debussy, and Atlas for Imaginary Places. Her husband, composer-video artist Damian Marhulets, is a key collaborator. In 2023 she released Cosmic Calendar and founded a music salon at Villa Seligmann in Hanover, pursuing a holistic artistic vision.

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