Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, op. 56 Part I
Felix Mendelssohn’s trip to Scotland in 1829 was musically productive, yielding both The Hebrides Overture and his Third Symphony in A Minor, dubbed “Scotch” sometime after he returned to Liepzig. The symphony lay dormant until 1841, making it the last of Mendelssohn’s symphonies to be completed (but the third to be published, thus the “3″ designation).
The poetic and romantic nature of the symphony was not lost on his contemporaries. Robert Schumann reviewed the work and assumed it was actually his “Italian” symphony (designated No. 4) based on its character. It is clear that Schumann took much away from his study of Mendelssohn. The first movement does have the traditional two-theme structure of sonata form, but theme two is a very minor player. Both the second and third movements digress from the textbook classical forms, while the final movement apotheosis (Like Beethoven’s 5th and 9th) would serve as a model for the late 19th century composer Johannes Brahms.
I. Andante con moto- Allegro un poco agitato
Sonata form
The symphony begins with hushed, dark chords in the horns and strings. Legato ascents in the strings over a deep bass line are joined by the winds in the repetition of the first phrase (0:35).
At 1:09 the violins play a lamenting melody that rises and falls, joined at the end of the line by the winds. They repeat the passage with slight variation, again answered by the winds. A dialogue between the fleeting string figures and soft but full chords in the orchestra begins at 1:42. After a brief orchestral ascent, a trill followed by a descent is heard in the strings over a steady bass and rising arpeggios in the low strings and winds (2:01). Another orchestral ascent leads to a repeat of the same section, followed by a tutti version of the ascending motive-based theme, climaxing at 2:44. The violins hold a high F before slowly descending (2:52). The beginning of the introduction is repeated with a more active string accompaniment as the violins continue their melodic line. Quiet string ascents are answered with two-note wind figures (3:46) before the flutes sustain a high E, ending the long introduction.
Theme one begins at 4:08 and is a slightly modified and sped up rendition of the material heard in the introduction. The winds’ version of theme one rapidly gains momentum (4:43) as the strings crescendo and play a series of slow trills followed by ascents. Downward-sequencing triplet figures in the orchestra (5:04) characterize a stormy transitional section that resolves to quiet theme one motives in the strings playing under a simple clarinet melody (5:34). Theme one motives pass to the bassoon as the flute plays overhead. Rising tremolos (6:08) lead to another stormy transition, resolving to theme two at 6:38.
Theme two is first heard in the violins and clarinets. Compared to the expressive content of theme one heard thus far, theme two is rather pedestrian, consisting of two ascents and then two downward-reaching “turn” figures. The second phrase consists of a series of string and wind descents, and it decrescendos into bleak string and wind chords at 7:08. This is the end of the exposition, relegating theme two to more or less an afterthought.
The development (7:14) starts with downward-reaching theme one motives in the strings amidst murmuring wind chords. Dotted string rhythms and wind chords build, ended by a loud tutti at 7:52 and giving way to solo horn notes. The low strings adopt this steady rhythm as more theme one motives sound in the low strings and winds. Another loud tutti gives way to a trumpet appearance before the section repeats. Theme one motives become more urgent as tremolos begin to gain prominence, building into a series of descending string arpeggios. Theme two (8:51) provides a momentary respite from the tumultuous storm that is developing on both sides. Fragments of theme one return in the cellos (9:11) and then appearing in various combinations in the strings, winds, and horns.
The clarinet (9:36) introduces theme one in almost its original form before the strings take over. The flute finishes the section, immediately clouded by dark low strings (10:08) underneath the wind lines playing meekly above. Tremolo ascents in the violins at 10:31 lead to another stormy transition, followed again by theme two. Theme two motives are repeated and slow down, resolving to sustained string chords. At 11:34 theme one motives begin to repeat in the low strings and gradually pick up speed. A series of powerful, swelling figures in the strings and timpani further add to the stormy nature of the movement (12:06) and repeat after a brief transition. Loud chords are followed by rapid descents along with intense rhythmic drive from the timpani as the development comes to a close with a long wind descent (12:55).
Material from the introduction returns at 13:06, ending the movement calmly (if not apprehensively) as it began on a pair of quiet pizzicatos.
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If you are interested in listening to a recording, I recommend Leonard Bernstein’s 1979 recording with the Israel Philharmonic on Deutsche Grammophone. You can buy this recording from Amazon by clicking on the image below. You can also buy this recording from the iTunes Music Store by clicking on the button below.
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