Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, op. 56 Part II
The cheerful second movement is derived from a Scottish folk tune.
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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).
Felix Mendelssohn
Schumann Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, op. 38 Part III
The unique scherzo, Schumann’s tribute to Beethoven.
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Schumann Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, op. 38 Part II
The second movement of Schumann’s Spring Symphony.
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Schumann Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, op. 38 Part I
Robert Schumann was well-known in German musical circles before his First Symphony, but not for his compositions. His journal “Die neue Zeitschrift fur Musik” had established Schumann’s reputation as a critic and purveyor of the genre, but his first symphony would be a paradigm shift in how Schumann was viewed. Written in 1841 a year after he as finally able to marry his beloved Clara Wieck, Schumann reportedly completed the skeleton of the symphony in just four days. It was premiered in Leipzig on march 31, 1841 by Felix Mendelssohn and the Gewandhaus orchestra and was almost an instant success.
Robert Schumann
Brahms- Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet, op. 115 Part III
The third movement of Brahms’ Clarinet quintet.
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Brahms- Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet, op. 115 Part II
The second movement Adagio is a three-part movement with a gypsy-inspired middle section.
Brahms- Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet in B minor, op. 115 Part I
Brahms wrote his Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet after a performance of Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto in F Minor, performed by the principle clarinetist of the Meiningen Court Orchestra Richard Muhlfield. He was so enthralled by Muhlfield’s performance that Brahms claimed it was “impossible to play the clarinet better” and referred to him as “Fraulein Nightingale.”
Johannes Brahms
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