The piano genre of the "song without words" invented by Mendelssohn is, how could it be otherwise, related to the classical art song. We find here (quasi) solo songs, duets and choral songs. An early Lied ohne Worte was written in 1828 as a birthday present for sister Fanny. Possibly brother and sister had developed a game among themselves in which music was devised on withheld texts. Contemporaries
… were sometimes puzzled by this. Were they songs or not? In any case, they became popular. On a visit to Queen Victoria in 1842, Mendelssohn even presented seven of them in arrangements for piano duo. Peter Donohoe plays a selection here. For advanced piano amateurs it will be a feast of recognition. Immediately hitting the mark is the blissful first Song in E (track 5), as the perfect calling card for the rest. Exciting and compelling is op.30 no.4 (track 17). Beautiful too is the fairy-like op.67 no.4 (track 20), the so-called 'Spinner Song'. Very wistful is op.38 nr.2 (track 25). And so we can go on. (HJ)more
