Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. Sinfonie A-dur op. 90. »Italienische«. Fassung 1833/1834

Short Description

The present edition, in reproducing in printed form this composite Fassung letzter Hand, contravenes the otherwise plausible notion, forwarded by Konold and implicit in the enduring popularity of the 1833 version, that this youthful masterpiece must remain a work completed not by its composer, but by its posthumous reception. It undertakes this contravention out of the conviction that such rationalizations ultimately represent an unfortunate sleight of hand. For the simple fact is that if Mendelssohn had had his way the A-major Symphony would be completely unknown today; therefore, to perpetuate a version that deeply displeased him while suppressing the reading that he found more satisfying is tantamount to suggesting that posthumous judgments and assumptions take precedence over the composer's judgment and intentions in creating the work. We may of course observe that even the 1833 version is a masterpiece; but this hardly justifies the suppression of the version of the last three movements that the composer explicitly preferred.
It is hoped that this edition of Mendelssohn’s final thoughts on the A-major Symphony, together with the publication of the autographs that so compellingly illustrate the compositional desiderata that led him to that more authoritative version, will help this Symphony finally to become familiar in the state which best realized the composer's wishes.