Mendelssohn reckons with his Jewish past and his Christian (or is it?) present.The centerpiece of this program is Mendelssohn's Reformation symphony. Listen to the various, complex cultural forces at play as the great composer, who takes a famous hymn by Martin Luther and uses it in this symphony, struggles to reconcile his Jewish past and the Christian society in which he lives. Fourth Autumn, by Ellis Marsalis, is given a delicate treamtent by the LPO strings. Later in the program, we hear the Serenade for Strings by Elgar-- restrained English elegance at its finest.
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Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 Reformation; Markus Huber, conducting
Ellis Marsalis Fourth Autumn arr. Hannah Yim; Tong Chen, conducting
Edward Elgar Serenade for Strings; Tong Chen, conducting
Note: While part of the original broadcast and thus included in these notes, for rights reasons, Fourth Autumn is not included in this audio file.