Jennifer Pike, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Edward Gardner - Mendelssohn in Birmingham, Vol. 4 (2016) [SACD]

Felix Mendelssohn did visit the city of Birmingham several times, but the Chandos label's Mendelssohn in Birmingham series refers for the most part to these contemporary performances by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Edward Gardner. If you've been interested in trying out an item from the series, this one can be recommended strongly. The low-key, lyrical approach of conductor Gardner works beautifully in these two pieces. Especially effective is the Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, in the hands of violinist Jennifer Pike: she catches the novel role of the soloist in this concerto in a way that bigger performances do not. The violinist's entrance at the beginning is heard in the way that must have startled Mendelssohn's Leipzig audience: not as a virtuoso solo melody straining to get every last decibel out of the violin, but as a wandering, songful individual with something new and mysterious to say. Sample the beginning of the concerto; it gives the flavor of the whole. The balance between soloist and orchestra here is delicate and subtle, all the way through. Gardner also excels in the Incidental Music to "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Op. 61, presented here not only with its famous wedding march, but with its rarer vocal pieces. An excellent album that fully realizes the series' aims of evoking early performances of Mendelssohn. -- James Manheim