Felix Mendelssohn - Symphonies & Oratorios (Andris Nelsons)

Information

Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

• Paulus, Op. 36
• Elias, Op. 70
• Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 11
• Symphony No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 52 "Hymn of Praise"
• Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 "Scottish"
• Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 "Italian"
• Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 107 "Reformation"

MDR-Rundfunkchor

Gewandhausorchester Leipzig

Andris Nelsons, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

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Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons demonstrates his prodigious talent in this seven-disc live box set with the Gewandhaus Orchestra, featuring Mendelssohn’s five symphonies alongside the oratorios Elias and Paulus. Recorded between 2021 and 2024, the symphonies are delivered with brisk yet controlled tempi, elastic phrasing, and vivid dynamic shading, bringing works such as the Italian and Scottish symphonies to life. The oratorios, performed in German, feature distinguished soloists including Golda Schultz, Werner Güra, Wiebke Lehmkuhl, André Schuen, Julia Kleiter, and Georg Zeppenfeld, with the MDR Radio Choir contributing impressive, if occasionally restrained, choral forces. This set highlights Nelsons’ nuanced interpretive insight and dramatic sensibility.

Andris Nelsons, born in Riga in 1978 into a musical family, began his career as a trumpeter in the Latvian National Opera Orchestra while studying conducting. Renowned for his dynamic leadership and interpretive insight, he has served as Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 2014/15 and of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig since 2018. Nelsons has led landmark projects, including the 2025 Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig and collaborations with young musicians from Tanglewood and the Mendelssohn-Akademie. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, he has recorded Shostakovich, Bruckner, Beethoven, and Strauss cycles, earning multiple GRAMMY Awards. His career spans major international tours, residencies, and engagements with leading orchestras, reflecting his global influence and commitment to musical excellence.