Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte, Books 5-8 Ronald Brautigam

• 1 No. 25 in G Major, Op. 62, No. 1. Andante espressivo, MWV U185 02:00
• 2 No. 26 in B-Flat Major, Op. 62, No. 2. Allegro con fuoco, MWV U181 01:44
• 3 No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 62, No. 3. Andante maestoso, MWV U177, Trauermarsch 02:47
• 4 No. 28 in G Major, Op. 62, No. 4. Allegro con anima, MWV U175 01:30
• 5 No. 29 in A Minor, Op. 62, No. 5. Andante con moto, MWV U151, Venezianisches Gondellied 02:05
• 6 No. 30 in A Major, Op. 62, No. 6. Allegretto grazioso, MWV U161, Fruhlingslied 02:03
• 7 No. 31 in E-Flat Major, Op. 67, No. 1. Andante, MWV U180 02:31
• 8 No. 32 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 67, No. 2. Allegro leggiero, MWV U145 01:42
• 9 No. 33 in B-Flat Major, Op. 67, No. 3. Andante tranquillo, MWV U102 02:26
• 10 No. 34 in C Major, Op. 67, No. 4. Presto, MWV U182, Spinnerlied 01:45
• 11 No. 35 in B Minor, Op. 67, No. 5. Moderato, MWV U184 02:12
• 12 No. 36 in E Major, Op. 67, No. 6. Allegretto non troppo, MWV U188 02:03
• 13 No. 37 in F Major, Op. 85, No. 1. Andante espressivo, MWV U189 02:30
• 14 No. 38 in A Minor, Op. 85, No. 2. Allegro agitato, MWV U101 00:58
• 15 No. 39 in E-Flat Major, Op. 85, No. 3. Presto, MWV U111 02:10
• 16 No. 40 in D Major, Op. 85, No. 4. Andante sostenuto, MWV U190 02:28
• 17 No. 41 in A Major, Op. 85, No. 5. Allegretto, MWV U191 01:52
• 18 No. 42 in B-Flat Major, Op. 85, No. 6. Allegretto con moto, MWV U155 01:46
• 19 No. 43 in E Minor, Op. 102, No. 1. Andante un poco agitato, MWV U162 02:50
• 20 No. 44 in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2. Adagio, MWV U192 02:16
• 21 No. 45 in C Major, Op. 102, No. 3. Presto, MWV U195, Kinderstuck 01:17
• 22 No. 46 in G Minor, Op. 102, No. 4. Andante, un poco agitato, MWV U152 02:02
• 23 No. 47 in A Major, Op. 102, No. 5. Allegro vivace, MWV U194, Kinderstuck 01:05
• 24 No. 48 in C Major, Op. 102, No. 6. Andante, MWV U172 01:41
• 25 Gondellied (Barcarole) in A Major, MWV U136 01:49
• 26 Lied ohne Worte (Song without Words) in F Major, MWV U150 01:56
• 27 Lied ohne Worte (Song without Words) in D Major, MWV U178 02:24
• 28 Lied ohne Worte (Song without Words) in D Minor, MWV U187, Reiterlied 01:35
• 29 Lied ohne Worte (Song without Words) in E-Flat Major, MWV U82 (completed by R.L. Todd) 02:36
• 30 No. 1 in G Major: Allegro non troppo, MWV U171 01:05
• 31 No. 2 in E-Flat Major: Andante sostenuto, MWV U170 01:48
• 32 No. 3 in G Major: Allegretto, MWV U164 00:55
• 33 No. 4 in D Major: Andante con moto, MWV U169 01:22
• 34 No. 5 in G Minor: Allegro assai, MWV U166 01:46
• 35 No. 6 in F Major: Vivace, MWV U168 01:23
• 36 Andante in E-Flat Major, MWV U165 01:47
• 37 Sostenuto in F Major, MWV U167 02:21
• Total Runtime 01:10:30

Info for Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte, Books 5-8

During the early 19th century a number of composers began to write in new genres inspired by literature: Chopin's Ballades, Schumann's Novelletten and, later, Liszt's Symphonic Poems are all examples of this Romantic urge to create works that transcend the divide between the arts. In 1828 Felix Mendelssohn invented a genre of his own when he presented his sister Fanny with a 'song without words' for her birthday. He went on to compose a large number of such Lieder ohne Worte and published no less than six sets of six pieces each. Following Mendelssohn's death in 1847 the publisher Simrock issued another two sets, compiled from pieces that the composer had set aside for later publication. Mendelssohn himself supplied a few of the songs with more or less descriptive subtitles, but his aim was not to tell an existing story in music instead of words, but rather to communicate something that could only be conveyed through music. To Mendelssohn, music was more exact than language – in his own words: 'the music I love expresses ideas that are not too vague to be captured in words, but on the contrary too precise.’ When Ronald Brautigam's recording of Books 1-4 was released in 2012, the reviewer in International Record Review wrote: ‘One could scarcely hope for performances more vivid or poetic than these.’ This second volume includes the last four published sets of Lieder ohne Worte, as well as a number of other piano miniatures. Brautigam performs them on the same instrument as on the previous disc, a copy by Paul McNulty after a piano from 1830 by Ignaz Pleyel, preserved at Musée de la musique in Paris.

Ronald Brautigam,

Ronald Brautigam
one of Holland’s leading musicians, is remarkable not only for his virtuosity and musicality but also for the eclectic nature of his musical interests. He studied in Amsterdam, London and with Rudolf Serkin in the USA. In 1984 he was awarded the Nederlandse Muziekprijs, the highest Dutch musical award. Ronald Brautigam performs regularly with leading European orchestras under distinguished conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, Frans Brüggen, Philippe Herreweghe, Christopher Hogwood, Andrew Parrott, Bruno Weil, Iván Fischer and Edo de Waart. In the field of chamber music he has maintained a musical partnership with the violinist Isabelle van Keulen for more than 20 years. Besides his performances on modern instruments Ronald Brautigam has developed a great passion for the fortepiano, appearing with leading orchestras such as the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Tafelmusik, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Hanover Band, Freiburger Barockorchester, Concerto Copen- hagen and l’Orchestre des Champs-Elysées.

In 1995 Ronald Brautigam began his association with BIS. Among the more than 55 titles released so far are Mendelssohn’s piano concertos (with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta) and, on the fortepiano, the complete piano works of Mozart and Haydn. Also on the fortepiano, his ongoing series of Beethoven’s solo piano music has been described in the American magazine Fanfare as ‘a Beethoven piano-sonata cycle that challenges the very notion of playing this music on modern instruments, a stylistic paradigm shift.’ A cycle of Beethoven’s piano concertos, on modern piano, has likewise been warmly received, with instalments receiving various distinctions, including a MIDEM Classical Award in 2010.

Booklet for Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte, Books 5-8