Name: Symphony No. 2, op. 52
Start: 2005-08-01T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2005-08-01T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Schumann-Haus Leipzig

Organization

Sopran

Anne Schwanewilms

Petra Maria Schnitzer

Tenor

Peter Seiffert

Dirigat

Riccardo Chailly

Gewandhaus Leipzig

Symphony No. 2, op. 52 -  (Sinfonie Nr. 2, op. 52)

Leipzig

Deutschland

Schumann-Haus Leipzig

I. Symphony: 
 ( 00:00 ) 1. Con moto maestoso - Allegro vivace 
 ( 11:12 ) 2. Allegretto un poco agitato 
 ( 17:24 ) 3. Adagio religioso 

 ( 24:09 ) II. Chorus: Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord 
 ( 28:33 ) III. Soprano Solo and Semi-Chorus: Praise the Lord, O my soul 
 ( 31:00 ) IV. Tenor Recitative: Let the redeemed of the Lord say so 
 ( 31:50 ) V. Chorus: Let those who were redeemed of the Lord say so 
 ( 33:50 ) VI. Soprano Duet and Chorus: I waited on the Lord 
 ( 39:02 ) VII. Tenor Aria: The chains of death bound us 
 ( 41:10 ) VIII. Chorus: Die Nacht ist vergangen (The night is past)
( 45:56 ) IX. Chorale: Nun danket alle Gott (Give thanks unto the Lord)
( 49:28 ) X. Tenor Aria: Drum singe ich mit meinem Liede ewig dein Lob (Therefore will I sing my song in thy praise for ever)
( 52:17 ) XI. Chorus: Ihr Völker, bringet her dem Herrn Ehre und Macht (Ye people, give honour and glory to the Lord)

It was Riccardo Chailly's inaugural concert as Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, for which the Italian conductor selected works by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847). The highlight of the program was the ‘symphonic cantata’ Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), Op. 52, for soloists, choir, orchestra, and organ – as it was premiered in December of 1840. With the program, Chailly paid homage to the man who was in some respects his predecessor; Mendelssohn himself was Kapellmeister of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, from 1835 to 1847. Chailly was to hold the same position from 2005 until 2016. 

With Lobgesang, Felix Mendelssohn created the new genre of the choral symphony – a hybrid between symphony and cantata. Great symphonic works with choral and solo singing had existed previously – with Beethoven's ninth symphony as the most famous example – but Mendelssohn's excursion within this hybrid form was a novum. The first movement is a sinfonia in which three symphonic movements are married together, unbroken. The fourth movement of the symphony is a cantata, itself consisting of ten individual movements for an array of vocal groupings. 

The symphonic cantata is held together thematically by the titular praise to God. Mendelssohn composed his chorale based upon the verse of Psalm 150:6 – “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." – which serves as a kind of leitmotif for the work. At the opening of the monumental piece, the chorale is played by the trombones, after which the orchestra takes it up, developing the theme across the symphonic movements. Finally, the biblical text arrives as song in the corresponding cantata section.

Mendelssohn's composition of the Lobgesang was commissioned for the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the moving-type printing press. A shorter version, later expanded upon by Mendelssohn, was performed at celebrations on June 25, 1840, with its full premiere in December, 1840. Lobgesang was an audience favorite even during Mendelssohn's lifetime, and remains one of his most frequently performed works. After his death, the expanded symphonic cantata – published as his ‘Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major’ – was attributed to Mendelssohn's symphonic oeuvre. To this day, the title 'Sinfonie No. 2' is still used to refer to the work. However; in the MWV – the new, 2009 index of Mendelssohn’s work – Lobgesang no longer figures amongst the composer's symphonies, but is rather counted as one of his vocal works.

Lobgesang Mendelssohn

Public

Sinfonie Nr. 2, op. 52

Genehmigt

Bass

Instrumentalist

Klavier

Violinist

Cellist

Violist

Flutist

Clarinetist

Guitarist

Organist

Percussionist

hornist

Oboist

Bassoonist

Trumpeter

Contrabassist

Trombonist

Harper

Saxophonist

Harpsichordist

Bassist

Accordionist

Tuba Player

Recorder Player

Lutenist

Tenor Violinist

Timpani

Mandoline Player

Baroque Flutist

Baroque Oboist

Baroque Trumpetist

Violino Piccolo Player

Viola da Gambist

Musette de cour Player

Viola Pomposa Player

Archlutenist

Vibraphonist

Cornettist

Viola d’amore Player

Theorbist

Komposition

Regie

Libretto

Bühnenbild

Kostümbild

Choreographie

Lichtgestaltung

Tänzer

Schauspiel

Chordirektion

Videogestaltung

Dramaturgie

Übersetzung

Tongestaltung

Korrepetition

Maske

Leitender Produzent

Haar

Andere

Stage Manager

Chor

Orchester

Poet

GesangslehrerIn

Lehrer

Photographer

Rundfunk

Illustrator

Writer

Writing and performance

Chorus Director

Wig & Makeup Designer

Orchestra Operations

Extra

Singer

Mezzosopran

Bass-Bariton

Bariton

Countertenor

Gesprochen

Kinderstimme

Leise

Alto

Continuo

Sinfonie Nr. 2, op. 52 by Mendelssohn, Mo. 01 Aug. 2005, Ab (2005/2005), Dirigat Riccardo Chailly, Schumann-Haus Leipzig, Leipzig, Deutschland

Aufführungskredite (Besetzung & Produktionsteam )

Besetzung

Programm, Info & Synopsis

Fotos

Weiterführende Literatur

Aufführungstermine & Spielstätten

Veranstaltungsorte