When I was 14, my family emigrated to the US. One of the key changes that took place in my life was the opportunity that I had to join an excellent orchestra that was located close to our home in Brooklyn, NY.
The players were all adults. Lawyers, doctors, and all were excellent musicians. The conductor was a former first oboe player under Toscanini.
I recall most of the orchestral selections that we worked on, because this group is where I learned the orchestral repertoire, as it relates to the violin part. And I certainly recall our practicing the Scottish Symphony by Mendelssohn.
Now there is a new recording of this work:
Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3
Mendelssohn:
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 11
Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 ‘Scottish’
Performed by the NDR Radiophilharmonie, Andrew Manze conducting.
Mendelssohn’s warmly lyrical Scottish symphony is paired with his confident first symphony oby the conductor Andrew Manze and the NDR Radiophilharmonie.
Inspired by his visits to Scotland and the Hebrides and the romantic novels of Sir Walter Scott, this outstanding Symphony No. 3 in A minor (“Scottish”) is a colorful reminiscence of its rugged landscapes steeped in history.
Here is the lovely Adagio movement from the Mendelssohn Third Symphony:
