Mendelssohn - Piano Concerto in A Minor {13 year old composer!) (1822)

[@ninifang4444]

I love this piece but the fact that Mendelssohn was 13 when he composed this just makes me want to rethink my life choices.

[@annaglibchuk5064]

L

[@danal81]

Because you could have done this at all? How modest if you!

[@arminhanik4207]

Rather rethink your genes and your choice of parents.

[@bw2082]

It’s ok. Mendelssohn was the greatest child prodigy in music history even surpassing Mozart at the same age, so don’t feel bad.

[@danal81]

@@bw2082 nobody surpassed Mozart as a child prodigy, you f00l.

[@pogeman2345]

You could say he was A minor when he made this

[@authenticmusic4815]

lmaooo

[@alejandrotaverareyes]

Nice one but your joke was A minor offense

[@kerencanelo8580]

Magnific coment

[@tylernguyen7988]

bruh

[@elmiramuradova561]

Wow. This is unbelievable composition!

[@corvanha1]

Being gifted is one thing, accomplish the goals you set another. Every great composer is a world mystery.

[@johannsebastienbach]

Mendelssohn is the greatest naturally gifted composer in history. Born with a sense for original melody and mastery of complex technique

[@TrumpetBogeyMan]

No...Mendelssohn is gifted but he couldn't hope to beat the genius that is Mozart

[@pswill820]

Notwithstanding their admitted provincial nature due to the age they lived in, both Felix and Fanny are among the most underrated composers of the early Romantic period. Just because they died young (e.g.,Beethoven lived to 55), their stature is no different than Mozart's in my mind. Felix wrote more than 700 pieces of music and Fanny 460 within lexx than a 30-year period--many still unpublished and not in the repertoire. They were also artists and people of letters of which there are volumes. The intellectual beauty these two gave to the world is incredibly amazing and breathtaking if you think about it. And we should have the right to hear them all of their works. Who knows, perhaps there's another missing piano concerto played at one of the Mendelssohns' Sunday musicales and now stuffed away in some archive that missed the catalogue.

[@bartjebartmans]

Great comment

[@pswill820]

Thank you. When one thinks about it, the Mendelssohns' output, like Mozart's, seems impossible within the periods in which they lived--particularly with all the other activities required by fame and fortune for Felix in particular. As for Fanny, according to both Felix and his father, she was, after her marriage, just a housewife who swept the floor, washed the laundry, made the beds and cooked the meals. Yet she had time to produced 460 pieces of music not to mention voluminous correspondence!? Like I said, both Felix's and Fanny's outputs just don't seem physically possible within the time period in which they lived. But there they are. What a regret that they both died so young lacking the medical attention available 100 years later. Just speculate what changes in musical style may have resulted had the Mendelssohns lived through 1848 and the revolutions that rocked Europe.

[@pswill820]

footnote: Feliix Mendelssohn's death shocked all of Europe right up to Buckingham Palace and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. You think Victoria mourned Albert's premature death a few years later? Felix's wife, Cécile Charlotte Sophie Jeanrenaud, was so grief stricken that there are letters confessing how she would daily "crucify" herself on his gravestone in tears of the loss. Indeed, her grief was so intense, she joined her husband six years later in 1853.

[@TheApostleofRock]

And he (that is Felix), if I'm not mistaken, is partially responsible for the rise in popularity of Bach. That alone is worthy of recognition in my opinion. Although I am quite biased as Bach is my favorite composer.

[@marcosPRATA918]

You played an important part. Who falls or does not fall into the graces of public consideration or posterity? Well, the fact is that whoever there figured, with merit or would not be glorified in his time. This continued in posterity.

[@hardyblues2194]

I just can't get enough of this concerto

[@PianomanRay]

Hardy Blues Me too. Especially the first movement. Currently listening now. I wonder how the other movements are

[@arazaratsyan6478]

Yeah, the first movement is addictive.

[@pianoman551000]

Yes! this most wonderful piece isn't even cataloged as an opus work. Perhaps Felix thought that this very early piece lacked maturity compared to his more advanced works. I disagree! Love this early work!!!

[@julianfwong]

The coda of the first movement is really a top-tier one, can't stop looping it.

[@lukebarlow6274]

It's good ain't it?

[@ZachOnett]

little felix the prodigy cat

[@dhu2056]

feline felix

[@Amourtendresse]

L'œuvre d'un prodige, qui confirme que «la valeur n'attend pas le nombre des années» et a toujours autant de succès par sa beauté et la joie qui s'en dégage 🙏La maturité de l'adagio est incroyable !🎶💓🎶✨

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

12:53 Almost exactly the same as the last movement of his G minor Concerto, No 1

[@charlesenglander1392]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZuZgnmkjLyVhKc @18:31 you can hear it!

[@charlesenglander1392]

(18:31 of the G minor)

[@gustabartok]

One of my favorites.. The Great and VERY IMPORTANT to classical music, Felix Mendelssohn... if he would live 20 more years.. can you imagine?

[@classicfan4683]

Genialer Jugendstreich des Komponisten! Großes Lob den Interpreten! Stürmische Brillanz, zärtliches Innehalten - alles hat seinen Platz! Nicht zu vergessen: die Tontechnik: wunderbar räumliche Aufnahme! Insgesamt: ein Juwel!

[@gregson99]

amazing performance and even more so that he was only 13!

[@ThigioBadoni]

It's sad to think, that back then he didn't know that already a third of his life was over.

[@jang4664]

I've been listening to it for months and I still enjoy it like it's the first time.

[@playtimehulot7383]

Try the Stöckigt version. Absolute masterpiece of interpretation. If you like Gould, you will admire it. It's on CD. Reference!

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

I love seeing his own manuscript. Fascinating

[@elmiramuradova561]

The third part is great. It just impossible to imagine that a child wrote it. I can listening endlessly.Thank you.

[@mrbrianmccarthy]

That intro sounds like one of Mozart's symphonies in Salzburg that he wrote when he was 16-17 ! . Feliz Mendelssohn was Mozart reincarnated, how else do you explain a 12 year old composer being able to so perfectly emulate a previous composer like this? Such a wonderful concerto, I hope it gets played more, its truly a miracle that 12 year old wrote something this good, I dont even think Mozart wrote this well when he was that age.

[@bartjebartmans]

Talking about age, check Busoni's D major Piano Concerto, written when he was 12. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHvXfoV6ocqMl5Isi=SiGD2YQau0jnh3iA

[@mrbrianmccarthy]

Love this----Mendelssohn is a very under rated composer, and there are many wonderful treasures out there that have yet to be discovered. (His sister was amazing too!)

[@dereksuszko728]

In retrospect the Octet was the worst thing to happen to Mendelssohn from a legacy standpoint. To write this fire-breathing masterpiece in its unique form for an integrated 8 string ensemble at the age of 16 seems so implausible that it has shadowed his entire output. Composer legacies unfortunately tend to be dominated by the narrative of a progression in style and those who show definite progressive advancement are often favored above those who do not. If Mozart had composed the C minor Piano Concerto as his first mature piano concerto, it would have devalued all the others. If Schubert had written the String Quintet earlier in his career, everything that followed would be judged in reference to it. Ironically, if the Octet was never written, or if it was written at the end of his career, I believe Mendelssohn would be valued more highly because all his other compositions could be viewed from a more normative perspective. The F minor and A minor String Quartets are some of the best of the genre but having been composed by the man who earlier wrote the more bombastic Octet they have never been accorded the acclaim they deserve. While Mozart was a prodigy, one can easily juxtapose the two G minor symphonies for instance and see that the one is greater. There's no work of Mozart's teenage years that can be called greater than later efforts in the same genre. If compositions existed in a vacuum and we had no idea of the ordering, I think we would be shocked how many legacies would change completely. But we have the dates. And so we have to live with the constant condescension that Mendelssohn is inferior for his lack of development all because he happened to write an idiosyncratic masterpiece as a 16 year old.

[@MartyMusic777]

I may be the odd man out, but I don't judge Mendelsohn for not really progressing as a composer - by the time he was 17, he had essentially mastered composition as far as he could take it, so why mess with a good thing? Instead of trying to progress for progress' sake, he instead just kept on composing great music of essentially the same stellar calibre as his Octet and Overture to Midsummer, and that in itself is admirable in my book.

[@ytyt3922]

Unlike nearly all of his contemporaries, Mendelssohn was born to an affluent family so he didn’t need to push himself the way the others did. For Chopin, it was “compose ingenious, compelling music every time, or STARVE”, so his piano output is vast and revolutionary. Who knows the kind of masterpieces Felix and Fanny would have produced if they were struggling financially.

[@pietervoogt]

I guess you are talking about a select group of people with a certain knowledge and judgement, but many people appreciate Mendelssohn primarily for later works like the violin concerto or the songs without words

[@fedefournier]

@@pietervoogt I guess that the vast majority of "non expert" people think of "a midsummer night dream" if they hear the name of Mendelssohn... some more skilled would think of the violin concerto or the italian symphony... I guess the octet is known only by experts, as it is not played very often.

[@Pawel_Malecki]

Excuse me sir, but the first movement of Mozart's 25th is a fire breathing masterpiece worthy of Mendelssohn's Octet, if not better (also a very bad choice for comparison as it is the only work Mozart ever wrote in an otherwise alien to him Sturm und Drang style; many aspects of that symphony which can be considered overly idiomatic and simplistic are not flaws of Mozart but features of the style). I sadly have to agree Mendelssohn is not associated even with the octet by broader audiences, it's the 'Midsummer's...' wedding march, then it's a tie between the overture and violin concerto. I don't think people recognise the 'Italian' symphony more than the octet in fact. However, I know one person who asked about Mendelssohn immediately replied with 'Requiem for Fanny' and was even able to hum the opening without knowing the violin concerto.

[@leoinsf]

This is amazing and to think he was 13. I love this difficult piano concerto. It needs to "get out there" because it is well-written and entertaining. Many juvenile works are tentative and insecure. This is amazingly fresh, bold, and dramatic. Felix, you are amazing!

[@classicalsheetmusic1986]

This is actually so good that I got goosebumps.

[@teunvandesteeg7836]

A very mature musical mind in a young body. The pianist is amazing!

[@MultiEstebanquito]

Love the cello solo on first movement, THIS IS AMAZING

[@pswill820]

Mendelssohn's juvenalia eclipses Mozart's notwithstanding the wealth and privilege that the former enjoyed. However, the pure energy here of youthful musical power could not be sustained even as early as the G minor piano concerto. It is no wonder the composer was entombed by a stroke at 38. That said, to listen to this and other contemporaneous works such as the Trumpet Overture seem beyond human possibilities. And to follow the original score in its broad sweep of detail is just stunning in its genius. How lucky was the holder of a bi-weekly invitation to a Mendelssohn Sunday musicale in the 1820s. S/he experienced a special magic that none of us before or since could have ever even imagined.

[@calatria2949]

+ps will Never understood the whole Mendelssohn lost it as he got older thing. The emin Violin Concerto, a generally acknowledged masterpiece comes from the last years of his life. The fmin String Quartet, Midsummer Nights Dream (minus the overture), 3rd, 4th symphonies, all 'late' works and show no lag of inspiration.

[@pswill820]

It was the death of his sister, Fanny (age 40), who had a sudden stroke while singing in April 1847 that finally killed Felix who died that November 4 (age 38) (The two were so close they invented and spoke their own language!). Felix did manage the famous F minor quartet between the time of her death and his own. It's a work of a changed man. Everyone of the Mendelssohns died of strokes going back to Moses. If they only had the advantage of modern medical attention, they could have had the benefit of preventive care, how much richer our music heritage would be today. Or even lived through the revolutions of the following year, how changed would be their output?

[@pswill820]

I really didn't answer your question, did I. Unlike all famous composers of his day, Felix (and Fanny) were rich notwithstanding their talents. They could afford to have bad days unlike their contemporaries. Also look at the age they lived in. Democracy did not exist as we know it in their home countries. Aside from the issue of slavery, compare what was going on across the Atlantic: Era of Good Feeling, Manifest Destiny and rapid industrialization, Andrew Jackson, and the Mexican War. And to the Europeans, this was crude yet enticing. True or not, remember it is said that in his later years, Mendelssohn wanted to elope with Jenny Lind to America. Also recall that he had many, many requests--even pleas-- to visit the US from Mendelssohn Societies and others that had been formed in the 1830-40s.

[@davideincredibile7685]

bello come Dio

[@davideincredibile7685]

bello come Dio

[@francescocacciani3572]

Gigante y colosal Mendelssohn, que nos dejó un legado de pasión, brillantez, claridad como agua cristalina y elocuencia, vivacidad como fuego que crece con la ligereza del aire, romance que penetra hasta los huesos, drama, alma y espíritud, amor y mucho corazón. Un incalculable tesoro para la humanidad.

[@simonkawasaki4229]

Beautiful piece from a beautiful mind.

[@igorpollick2599]

amazing, and so mature at his age

[@peaceharmony4115]

Wow... just discovering this little gem of Mendelssohn now. Fantastic! But then, it's Mendelssohn, so how could it be anything less than great? Thank you for sharing! This must have made Bach and Mozart smile from the beyond. :)

[@23crosspath]

Chip shop !!!

[@milebackwards]

The best version of this masterpiece I ever found! Thank's a lot. Both to you and Mendelssohn!

[@playtimehulot7383]

Try Stöckigt on CD. Absolute masterpiece. Reference!

[@oldrichcepelka296]

A deep respect for young FMB!

[@fredericchopin7538]

Delightful!

[@TheALIMARS]

Absolutely brilliant....thank you for uploading this! Wonderful piece.......

[@gspaulsson]

1822 - still very Mozart. Three years later, he wrote the Midsummer Night's Dream overture, his first great and truly original work. Puzzling that there's so little Beethoven influence - a much sunnier disposition, I guess.

[@MrJayshalu]

Yep. The hurriedly rushed tension filled melody everywhere

[@malcolmdale]

Wonderful! I also remember hearing a Violin Concerto he wrote at the same age.

[@bartjebartmans]

Malcolm Dale I am busy editing that concerto, it will be up in a few days, also with manuscript score.

[@malcolmdale]

***** It's the Violin Concerto in D minor, as opposed to his famous Violin Concerto in E minor.

[@bartjebartmans]

+Abad Briman You can find it on my channel, also with score. See comment of Malcolm Dale.

[@lodyneervoort]

Wow, fabulous what a joy to listen to. 13 years old !!!!!thank you so much for posting.👍👍👍👍🌹🌹🌹🌹🍾🥂

[@MsrAlaindeFerrier]

I didn't even know there was a piano concerto in A minor unti today. Adore Mendelssohns music. Can honestly say that I have not heard one piece by him that isn't anything short of genius. Very similar to Mozart in many respects. Adore his tutti writing, he summons up such energy and power, incredible writing

[@amerain1729]

Grieg's piano concerto is in A minor

[@MsrAlaindeFerrier]

@@amerain1729 I know I’ve studied it to concert level

[@catherinejones9396]

Thank you for introducing this delightful piano concerto into my life BB. I actually prefer it to the rather showy one every one plays.

[@richardherbert9320]

love it. pure genius! thanks for sharing!

[@mereyeslacalle]

El Mozart del siglo XIX . Bravo !!

[@davidrehak3539]

Felix Mendelssohn:a-moll Zongoraverseny 1.Allegro 00:00 2.Adagio 13:30 3.Rondo:Allegro, ma non troppo 22:09 Cyprien Katsaris-zongora Liszt Ferenc Kamarazenekar Vezényel:Rolla János

[@mikedaniels3009]

What a new year's present YOUR UPLOAD & this discovery ! So funny, the comments here, a Concerto in a-minor from a minor. Young happy prodigy Felix was no copy cat when he penned this beautiful work. PS i love Emily Bear who upholds the cheerful classic tradition without being hellbent on modernism.

[@RoberTVShow]

His handwriting looks like Mozart's

[@authenticmusic4815]

exactly

[@gigogrom216]

and piece also

[@TatCoz]

Brillantissime ce dernier mouvement ! Quel gamin !! Époustouflant !

[@lesterrocks2439]

Oh my. He was THirteEeeeen.

[@principe.borodin]

Fantastic, magnific.

[@glennbourque111]

I'm puzzled that this concerto is so obscure. I find it more thrilling than the other two, and I have no complaints about those. Pianistically, it sounds like it would be more difficult to play.

[@loivo5707]

I agree! It's such a great piece. I think that the other two are more aligned with the Romantic style and "trendy" for the time, whereas this one is more inspired by the "old-fashioned" concerti of Mozart, Beethoven, and Hummel.

[@moniquebootz7615]

Magnifique...tout simplement !!!

[@АлександрЯрков-ш2з]

Bravo brilliance concerto music super

[@lodyneervoort]

Wow, at thirteen years old, what a genius. At thirteen I could barely wade thru a Mozart sonata. Thanks for uploading, great sound. 👍👍👍🤗🤗🆒🆒🍾🥂🌹

[@elmiramuradova561]

Это чудо,это блестяще,это как восход солнца в пасмурный день,это пробуждение Души! Браво Мендельсон! Браво пианисту,блестящее исполнение,можно слушать без конца и восхищаться!ВОСТОРГ ,СЧАСТЬЕ ,ЧТО ЕСТЬ ЭТА МУЗЫКА!

[@PauloCesarMaiadeAguiar]

Wonderfull . Awesome Concerto for Piano - Genial . Many Thanks Dear Bartje

[@jgamez5023]

This is fantastic !!

[@JJTownley_Classical-Composer]

Interestingly, Mendelssohn never changed his writing style in his two mature piano concertos. The content just matured quite a bit yet the fluid arpeggios, repeated chords in LH accompanying a gorgeous melody in the RH are still evident.

[@guillaume1760]

Extraordinaire !

[@tien-linyang3195]

classical style with the modern instrument technique and range

[@johnchessant3012]

very nice

[@khool63]

mendelsohn est un compositeur de génie pas assez reconnu ,, mort trop jeune comme souvent on devine la jeunesse , le fougue a travers chacune des notes de concerto plein d enthousiasme ,

[@OrlandoAponte]

I can't believe how long he withheld that C Major resolution from 2:54 to 3:42, just dancing around on the dominant of G. Truly the machinations of a teenager. Even the fermatas on the rests at 3:37 (which are not given proper attention by the performer) indicate that Mendelssohn intended this to be incredibly long-winded.

[@bartjebartmans]

How could these be truly machinations by a teenager when no other teenager ever wrote something like this?

[@Pawel_Malecki]

This is unbelievably good if you ask me, especially because he ends it all with a prank by quoting 'Eine kleine...'. I actually find it ingenious and more in Haydn's jokester spirit than Mozart's.

[@GarySchmidtPianist]

Wow. A masterpiece at any age by any composer. Can't believe this is not in the standard repertoire. Just amazing. Of course Clara Schumann wrote a piano concerto at age 14 (opus 7) that is much more difficult to play (thought must say his final coda does not look easy!) than this one but to me this is music of a much higher standard. Of course just opinions...wow, that melody at 19:50 such mature beauty in simplicity and the orchestra that leads up to that point just masterful.

[@jenniferz6546]

Love the soothing piano part and upbeat melody.

[@leeroger1471]

mendelssohn was a awesome prodigy it is a shame he died so young him and many others music needs to played in our time and leave the great composer music a rest for a time

[@losersclaw]

If i didn't know it was felix who composed it I would have thought it was Mozart who composed this.....it's amazing so joyful and such maturity it doesn't sound like it was composed by 13 year old what genius

[@XHitsugaX]

at 13 Year old I played video games and yu-gi-oh

[@89057192029]

Я под большим впечатлением! Спасибо!

[@PianoMelodyNotes]

Beautiful

[@filosoforvgsapereaude5020]

Si bien la genialidad nace y no se aprende me sorprende el dominio técnico que muestra para sus trece años

[@lili13]

I saw alma deutsher’s piano concerto and came back to Mendelssohn’s piano concerto Because they basically wrote these at the same age and both are geniuses but Sorry alma I still think this concerto is better and my favorite Ps : pianist here

[@eugeniomariafagiani2867]

astonishing!

[@mactire8557]

Best piece ive heard at his age

[@fitnessbrotherade2959]

Nice performance👏👏👏👏👏👍

[@seongjincho7192]

wow amazing

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

Pure genius

[@milanasky3535]

What a great video! Keep them coming. Just subscribed to your video!

[@monteverdi1567]

What a truly delightful work. All the more so as the work of a young teen. Thank you for posting this and for including the scrolling autograph score!

[@canman5060]

Technically very advanced concerto compare to his two later concertos written when he was in his early 20's.

[@pianoshaman2807]

He composed this at 13. I could barely play twinkle twinkle little stars at 13.

[@berthanydlins1030]

Honestly at this age I was still struggling to play Chopin's waltz

[@alejandrom.4680]

I started at the age of 13, so, I feel you.

[@natali8708]

🤣

[@milenvivaldi]

@@alejandrom.4680 samee

[@parsonw]

Thank you so much for your posting.Just recall our 13 age,what was we doing? I was touched immediately when I read first melody of his violin concert in E minor but did not who is him yet.

[@jeanaprea8216]

ce felix mendelsshon tres grand compositeur aussi bien en symphonie en tout genre de classique quelle qui sois et grand diose tres bon a ecoute même en travallan cela ferais passer le temp !

[@studentofcounterpoint]

To everyone in the comments saying " I was struggling doing X or Y at 13 years old" the only pertinent metric of achievement is the ratio of time and effort you put in something, over actual result, not your age. It's just useless to put oneself down like you are doing.

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

Perhaps one of the most ingenious of all the composers.

[@parsonw]

what's genius,he was indeed.

[@mariekolenicova4206]

Daily dose of satisfaction

[@christopheleclair5367]

Ce fut un génie !

[@jakehouston4487]

This at 13, and im almost positive this WASNT his first concerto!!

[@mrbrianmccarthy]

I think he wrote one for violin first (In D minor) and then one for violin and piano, along with 2 others for he and his sister to play. (In E major and A flat major) along with this one. He was amazingly prolific when he was younger----what a shame he didn't believe in his music more and didn't stay focused on his own compositions as he got older.

[@davidbukowski3463]

23:14 This passage sounds very much like Vivaldi, or at least the Italian Baroque style in general. (Especially the conversation between the violins starting at 23:29)

[@Timothy-c4p]

This early piano concerto by Mendelssohn is very much under the influence of Mozart. It could almost have been written by him. But I do detect some early romanticism. Perhaps a deepening of mood and expression. Which I even find with Schubert’s early music. So I guess this was a common factor in the transition from the classical to romantic periods. Since there’s always some cross over between two periods of music.

[@agodbee3847]

I'm no musician bur I like watching the acrual hand notion while listening. No wonder talent memorizes the score; it would be tought translating in actual performance fromit, I bet.

[@PepperWilliams_songcovers]

At 13 years old, I was still playing with my legos

[@snowcarriagechengcheng-hun3454]

Thanks for uploading!

[@9042jeremy]

The melody at around 13:00 sounds like the final movement of his Piano Concerto 1

[@mariostangoni2154]

Yes!! This moment start to 12:54!

[@pepperwilliams4428]

He quotes Mozart.......Another "genius" of the times!!!

[@_PROCLUS]

💝💝💝 TY

[@sedefcankocak9523]

very tangoesque ... :-)

[@konstantinmeyer1590]

wow amazing :) thx for uploading :)

[@StuartSimon]

I just can’t believe how legible the handwriting is. I understand that this is a representation of a finished product, but I have seen samples of, for example, Beethoven’s handwriting in final scores, and it is near impossible to make heads or tails of it.

[@ricardogallardo7467]

! IMPRESIONANTE ! ? COMO SE PUEDEN ESCRIBIR TANTAS NOTAS E INTERPRETARLAS ? ADEMAS LLENAS DE BELLEZA !!!

[@petersharp1629]

it seems to me this wonderful concerto foreshadows the first e minor of Chopin.

[@christophsiegrist3066]

Thanks

[@lxr0913]

the opening theme sounds like the Tico-Tico no fubá, ain't it?

[@serenesiewhm9408]

yeah.....you're right. The only difference is the tempo. This one is "classical", Tico-Tico no fuba is a bit more like a tango

[@orangejuiceman]

Wow you're right haha

[@roberacevedo8232]

@@serenesiewhm9408 What are you talking about? The tempo is basically the same.

[@TheMrcolumbo]

Pretty interesting sheets.

[@marcosPRATA918]

Impressionante!

[@jameshenshall1534]

Utterly gorgeous, although I cannot but help thinking that the addition of woodwind and, say, a pair of horns and timpani would enhance it.