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Evening, August 3, Highland inn at the Bridge of Tummel. A wild affair. The storm is howling, blustering, whistling around outside, causing the doors to slam shut down below and blowing the shutters open, but one can't tell whether the sounds of water are from the rain or from the blowing spray, since both are raging ... The countryside is broad and wide, covering with dense vegetation, from all sides cascades of water are rushing under the bridges, there is little corn but much heather with brown and red flowers, ravines, passes, crossroads; everywhere beautiful green, deep blue water - but everything is stern, dark, and very lonely. How could I describe it? - Felix Mendelssohn writes to his father, Abraham Mendelssohn Bartholdy, from Blair Atholl on August 3, 1829.
My photo of Loch Earn in Scotland was taken almost one hundred and eighty years after Mendelssohn's visit, and shows the timeless scenery and weather that inspired him to write his Scottish Symphony. It was not completed until 1842, by which time the composer had also written his Italian Symphony. There cannot be many CD collections that do not contain these two very familiar works, but if such a gap exists look no further than Herbert von Karajan's classic recording for Deutsche Grammophon which also includes Mendelssohn's other homage to Scotland, the overture "The Hebrides" ("Fingal's Cave").
Less likely to be found in the average CD collection are Mendelssohn's choral works. In 1828 Mendelssohn triggered the nineteenth century Bach revival with his pioneering performances of his own highly inauthentic version of the St Matthew Passion with the Berliner Singakademie. He went on to compose eight chorale cantatas inspired by Bach, and these works are included in an essential 10 CD set of Mendelssohn's complete choral music newly recorded (2002) for Brilliant Classics by the Chamber Choir of Europe directed by Nicol Matt.
Like many of the good things currently happening in the classical recording industry, like most of my Overgrown Paths, and like tuxedos, the music in this box of delights, which ranges from Mendelssohn's settings of Lutheran Chorales to the Catholic Ave Maria and Lauda Sion, is delicously unfashionable. But forget the fashion police and just savour these exemplary performances, the demonstration quality sound engineered by Reinhard Geller, the beautiful packaging including an enlightening booklet essay by Christian Wildhagen, and the typically Brilliant Classics budget price. I paid just €24.99 for the 10 CDs in Galeria Kaufhof in Leipzig, but there is even a single CD 'greatest hits' collection if your credit is being crunched too hard to shell-out for the 10 CD package. Who said the classical recording industry is dead?
Experience your own Scottish Symphony by staying, like us, at Earnknowe Cottages at Lochearnhead. My photo was taken from our cottage there, and is (c) On An Overgrown Path 2008. Mendelssohn quotation is from Felix Mendlessohn, A Life in Letters edited by Rudolf Elvers (ISBN 0304316954 OP). Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
The liturgical music of the Orthodox Church contains many riches, and discs already featured here such as Brilliant Classic’s Sacred Russian Choral Music and Liturgy of St John Christendom, and Ivan Moody’s Akáthistos Hymn are in constant rotation in my CD player. They have been joined recently by another disc from the enterprising Gagliano Recordings label, this time of music by a contemporary Greek-American composer new to me. Tikey Zes was born in Southern California in 1927, and studied with Ingolf Dahl. His career has included recording the music of Ockeghem, and holding the posts of Professor of Composition at San José State University and choir director of the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas in San José, and my photo above was taken in that church.
The new Gagliano CD Tikey Zes Choral Works includes sacred pieces from the Orthodox liturgy starting with the Great Doxology. As well as liturgical music Tikey Zes has composed a song cycle for high voice and piano on poems by Cavafy, and a number of arrangements of Greek folk songs, two of which conclude the CD. The choir is the excellent Cappella Romana directed by Alexander Lingas, the same forces as those on the Akáthistos Hymn and Fall of Constantinople CDs that have featured here.
The recording venue is St Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Portland, Oregon, and credit should go to producer Bryan Johanson and engineer David 
Johnson for a startlingly life-like recording. Although the Orthodox tradition is for instruments not to be used in worship, Tikey Zes follows the contemporary Greek-American practice of supporting the choir with an organ or piano, and this gives some very impressive pedal notes from organist John Vergin. In recent years a school of composers working on the West Coast of the US has developed a new liturgical style which combines the traditions of the Greek Orthodox liturgy with the more familiar sounds of Renaissance polyphony, and this has been championed by ensembles such as Cappella Romana. The compositions and performances captured on Tikey Zes Choral Works stay true to their sacred roots, but speak in a fresh and accessible voice that should win a lot of new listeners – highly recommended.
Now take An Overgrown Path to visit the Orthodox Church of Saint Seraphim, Walsingham
Photo of Metropolitan Gerasimos from Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, San José. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included for "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
November 2007 brings the 160th anniversary of the death of Felix Mendelssohn, which means this year we are going to hear a lot of Fingal’s Caves, Italian Symphonies, and Violin Concertos. Which is a shame, as Mendelssohn wrote much other fine music which deserves to be heard more often. But the good news is that even if the concert and broadcast programmers stick to his greatest hits you can explore more of Mendelssohn’s fine music on two very affordable CD sets.
Mendelssohn grew up in Berlin, and was a student at the Singakadamie where he first studied the compositions of J.S. Bach, and it was in Berlin that he gave the celebrated anniversary performance of the St Matthew Passion in 1829. While director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Mendelssohn regularly performed Bach’s music, and he edited several of the organ works and was a key figure in the publication of the first complete Bach edition. The influence of Bach can clearly be seen in Mendelssohn’s own organ and choral compositions, and I want to recommend two CD sets which give a wonderful opportunity to explore these influences.
Mendelssohn performed Bach's organ music on his recital tours, and he was familiar with instruments from Bach’s time including the two Silbermann organs in Rötha near Leipzig. The shadow of Bach is most evident in Mendelssohn’s early organ works, but the debt is clear in the whole oeuvre including the 
Three Preludes and Fugues Op. 37 and Six Sonatas for Organ Op 65 which are the pinnacles of Mendelssohn’s compositions for the instrument. In 1822 Mendelssohn played an organ built by Aloys Mooser in the small town of Bulle in Switzerland, and this was used by Stefan Johannes Bleicher to record Mendelssohn’s complete organ music which is now available on a super-budget priced 3CD set from Arte Nova. The classical design and build of the Aloys Mooser organ guarantee authenticity, and the sound and performances are excellent on this outstanding set.
Bach’s model is also clear in Mendelssohn’s choral works, particularly the eight chorale cantatas. These can be enjoyed in an outstanding 10CD box of Mendelssohn’s complete choral works 
from the enterprising Dutch super-budget label Brilliant Classics. I cannot recommend this set highly enough. These are not previously issued recordings released under licence, they are sparkling new digital recordings which offer excellent sound with Reinhard Geller doubling as producer and engineer. The Chamber Choir of Europe under Nicol Matt give exemplary performances, and the packaging is excellent and includes complete texts. I bought my set for just €24.99 (£14/$27) in Galeria Kaufhof in Leipzig last year, a store that almost overlooks St Thomas’ and is a short distance from the famous Mendelssohn Haus.
These two enterprising super-budget labels have got their fingers on the musical pulse, and understand that there is much more to Mendelssohn than the Violin Concerto. Their sets of the complete organ and choral music offer outstanding opportunities to explore Mendelssohn’s lesser known music at highly affordable prices. What more can we ask in this anniversary year?
Now see more of the city that was home to both Bach and Mendelssohn, in I am a camera - Leipzig
Any copyrighted material on these pages is included for "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
I managed to catch Choral Eucharist in St John's Smith Square yesterday lunchtime. Built in 1728 St John's Smith Square is one of the finest examples of English Baroque architecture. It is located within a few minutes walk of all the government departments and the Houses of Parliament themselves. Although still used as a church St John's is now best known as a concert and recording venue. Many famous records have been made there, most notably by Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. The church has glorious acoustics, and its location in a quiet square helps keep the background noise down.The service today was sung by Cantandum directed by Gilly French, with Rosemary Field organ. The celebrant was the Rev. Jennie Hogan. Here is the music:
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - Missa brevis
Cristóbal de Morales - Ecce virgo concipiet
Louis Vierne - Etoile du Soir
Marcel Dupré - Lumen ad revelationem
* As well as being one of my favourite Renaissance musicians, the composer of today's anthem, Cristóbal de Morales, provided the inspiration for a celebrated album made by saxophonist Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble. The ECM CD Officium takes its title and first track from the Parce mihi domine from Morales' Officium defunctorum. For more on this read Officium live - a triumph of music theatre.
* The powerful painting above is one of twelve panels by the Australian artist Alan Oldfield inspired by St Julian of Norwich's revelations. The originals hang in St Gabriel's Chapel, All Hallows Convent, Ditchingham. For more on St Julian read Medieval mystics with musical connections.
Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
