Mendelssohn Bicentennial 1809-2009

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was one of the greatest of all the early Romantics. Already composing in early childhood, he created two of his greatest masterpieces at the age of sixteen: the Overture to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, and the Octet for strings. A descendant of the great Jewish Enlightenment philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn, Felix, along with his sister Fanny, grew up in a wealthy and cultured household, where his musical and other artistic gifts were nurtured. Mendelssohn was also an avid promoter of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, and conducted, in 1829, the first performance of the St. Matthew Passion since Bach’s time. In honour of Felix Mendelssohn’s great contribution to Western music, in collaboration with the Atlantis Ensemble, Musica Omnia has initiated a project to record all of Mendelssohn’s chamber music with fortepiano. This series will be completed by 2009 in honour of the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of this towering genius of the nineteenth century.