Search - Peter Maag, Jennifer Vyvyan, Marion Lowe :: Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Symphony No. 3 / Maag, London Symphony Orchestra

Maag and Mendelssohn

Peter G. Watchorn | Cambridge, MA USA | 11/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is little known that the Swiss conductor Peter Maag originally set out to be a concert pianist, his mentor in this regard being the great Swiss/French pianist Alfred Cortot (you can hear Cortot's sense of colour and spaciousness echoed in Maag's conducting, too). One of the greatest and most underrated of conductors, Peter Maag's reputation rests largely (despite his prolific recorded output for small, obscure labels) on a handful of recordings made for Decca in the '50s and '60s: Mozart concertos with Barry Tuckwell (horn) and Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), the "Prague" and 32nd symphonies, Serenata Notturna and the Notturno for four orchestras. However, it is his Mendelssohn: the "Scotch" symphony, the Hebrides Overture and the music for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which has set the standard by which other performances to this day are judged....In this Maag was assisted by the magnificent production/engineering of Ray Minshull/Kenneth Wilkinson ("Scotch" symphony) and James Walker/Cyril Windebank (AMSND), the excellent state of the LSO at the time and, often overlooked, the unbelievably beautiful acoustics of the Methodist Kingsway Hall in London in which Decca's finest sound was achieved (it is now, sadly, unavailable for recording-it should be on the National Trusts's list for preservation as a recording space!). I don't think that this release will ever be surpassed. Buy it and revel in the artistry of Peter Maag and the LSO, as well as the extraordinary recorded sound of the Kingsway Hall, and Decca's marvellous FFRR recording. You won't be disappointed. One of the most sublime moments is the unforgotten Jennifer Vyvyan's singing in "You Spotted Snakes" - simply unsurpassable. The only regret is that the time available to the current cd medium is not sufficient to include Maag's unforgettable "Fingal's Cave" (although that WAS issued on cd in 1995 along with the "Scotch" Symphony and parts of the AMSND in Decca's series "The Classic Sound", which has now been superceded by "Legends"). If you love Mendelssohn, you can't remain without this release - it's simply, for a host of reasons, the best that's ever been (or likely to be) recorded."

Legendary performances

D. R. Schryer | Poquoson, VA United States | 07/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Peter Maag is a very fine conductor who has a particular genius for the music of Mendelsssohn and Mozart. His performance of Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony which is presented on this CD won rave reviews when it first appeared on LP three decades ago, and it is still regarded by many as the performance against which all others are judged. The excerpts from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" are equally well done. No matter what other performances of this music you may have, do yourself a favor and get this outstanding CD."

Wonderful music, but something's missing.

Jay | Republic of Ireland | 01/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There was a time when no collection of Classical Music (on LP at the time) was complete without these recordings. I remember them being standard rainy Sunday afternoon fair at my grandparents house when I was a child. Peter Maag's recordings of Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and the Scottish Symphony are simply superlative. 46 years on, no interpretation has so captured the heart of the works and their romantic intentions as this one. The only problem is that the Hebrides Overture ("Fingal's Cave") is not included on this issue, it is included on the Decca "Classic Sound" release, but with the excerpts of "A Midsummer Nights Dream" cut down to fit on the one CD. The issue you choose will depend on where your priorities lie, but what a pity both couldn't have been included on the same release even if it had to be stretched to a two-disc set."