Göteborgs Symfoniker

Mendelssohn: Octet for strings 

There are not many composers in history who wrote so much, and so brilliant, music already as a child. When Mendelssohn finished his octet at the age of 16, he had already written 13 symphonies for string orchestra, several extensive concertos, chamber music and smal-scalel operas.

In November 1825, his teacher Zelter wrote a letter to his friend Goethe in which he mentioned that the young student had just completed an octet “which is very well made”. That Mendelssohn became proud is no exaggeration. When the piece was premièred in the Mendelssohn family’s stately salon in Berlin, the audience was captivated – an unbroken series of inspired melodies in a classically sophisticated form. Much later, the composer remembered these days with warmth: “I had a wonderful time.”

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Programme

Mendelssohn Octet for strings 

Participants

Musicians from the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra