Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 11/03/2010, uploaded on 04/12/2011

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Some uncertainty surrounds the origins of Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso in E major. Some place its conception in 1824 while others believe it to have been composed at a later date. Regardless, a version of the piece was indeed completed by 1828. Two years later, Mendelssohn revised the work, adding the Andante introduction. This eventual form—a lively movement presaged by a slower introduction—was used by Mendelssohn in later pieces, such as the Andante cantabile e Presto agitato. The backward progression of major to minor, instead of the more usual minor to major, also foreshadows the “Italian” Symphony.

The introduction in E major begins with three measures of soft, resonant chords over a sturdy bass. Following, a lyrical melody enters, which seems to float effortlessly over the rich chordal underpinnings. Gradually, the serene atmosphere of the opening is disturbed. Sixteenth note figurations overtake the lyrical tune and force the music through a dramatic passage in C major. A climatic return to E major gives way to an aura of mystery as diminished seventh chords slowly darken the whole scene with the hues of the minor mode.

Following a close on the dominant of E, the Presto, and the Rondo proper, launches forthwith. A vigorous melody in hushed tones forms the Rondo’s principal theme. It is followed by a wholly Romantic tune in G major, serving as the first episode. Assuming the structure of a sonata-rondo, the movement’s development section is remarkably brief and concerns itself entirely with the principal theme. The prior G major melody reappears first, accompanying also a return to the key of E major. However, the reprise of the sprightly first theme brings with it the minor mode. Finally, a stormy passage in octaves, marked fortissimo, announces the end of the piece.        JosephDuBose

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.