Will you welcome, please....
Post categories: Jessica Duchen
| 16:17 UK time, Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Some more party-goers! As I have not yet broken the spell that lets one place comments on the posts in response to yours, dear readers, this seems the best way to respond [I've just sorted it - Ed.] Thank you for your ideas. I think is a wonderful addition to the guest-list - thank you, kleines c. Mendelssohn was a fine painter himself and even if they did not know each other, the chances are they would have got on extremely well. If I were a record label producing a Mendelssohn series, I would place CDF's paintings on the front of all of them.
is another kindred-spirit-manqué, and if we can distract him from moping about after for a while, he could be an excellent social addition. Perhaps he will perform some acrobatics on the banisters for us, as he used to in for the children (according to Eugenie Schumann's memoirs). The chances are, however, that might not condescend to RSVP, since he bore Mendelssohn a major grudge for turning down his early symphony when he submitted it to the . Words come to mind about memory and elephants.
Arriaga is indeed underrated, wonderful and a tragic loss to the world of music; he must join us. And Morton Feldman? I'd love to know what Mendelssohn would have made of his soundworld, but I should say right now that I'm not going to attempt that blow-by-blow comparison somebody suggested a few weeks back. If anyone would like have a go, however, please feel free to post it to the comments box.
Of course, we have to ask some performers to play the music, so that Felix, Clara and co can relax and enjoy their cyberchampers. I would especially like to invite Ferdinand David, Mendelssohn's childhood friend, orchestra leader and soloist at the premiere of the Violin Concerto. He might enjoy meeting that glorious trio of Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky and Arthur Rubinstein, who fortuitously were filmed playing the D minor trio. There can have been few less physically demonstrative musicians - Heifetz especially gives away no sign of emotion while he plays - yet that is because the entire focus goes into the playing. An Alexander Technique expert would approve: extraneous effort is absent, so the music's energy can't be dissipated by excess flinging-about-of-self. The proof is in the musical results. Welcome, dear trio.
And while we're about it, please welcome three of my favourite artists of all time: , and . Could any transdimensional Mendelssohn party be complete without Casals' eloquence, Cortot's magical ethereality, or the seductive strings of Thibaud, exquisite and marvellous friend of ? Fauré must tag along too: he was passionate about Schumann and Mendelssohn, and his early music bears a strong influence from both. Hear the gorgeous - its simple yet perfect melody could almost have come from Felix himself; likewise the almost-too-lovely (note title) for solo piano.
Hang on...what did you say, Jascha?...Is that so? That's kind - I'm very glad...
tells us that he will make a special exception for this celebration and, just this once, doesn't mind playing. Apparently an American society hostess once invited him to a grand dinner party, then added: 'And bring your violin.' Heifetz replied: 'Thank you, Madam, but my violin is not hungry.'
To see Heifetz play the first movement of the Violin Concerto, to YouTube..
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