MDG Scene  906 1786-6

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Instrumental

Mendelssohn: 3 Preludes & Fugues, Op. 37; Andante's in D major, F major & G minor; Sonata's Op. 65 No.'s 2 & 4
Rabin: Hommage to Mendelssohn

Yuval Rabin


Labor of Love
For five years the men of Gersau labored and toiled while their wives sold jewelry and handicrafts in order to be able to finance their new church. As things turned out, this community – for some four hundred years the world’s smallest republic – was able to pay for a modern organ. Lovingly and expertly restored by the Mathis Company, this early romantic instrument of 1813 now for the first time is heard in its new form, in audiophile reproduction, and true to the style of its times with wonderful organ compositions by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

Father and Son
Organ music played a special role in Mendelssohn’s oeuvre. During his numerous journeys he repeatedly sought out churches in order to be able to play their organs, and he of course always had Bach in his baggage. It is thus hardly surprising that his great Leipzig forefather left his traces; reminiscences of Bach’s masterpieces are found in many of Mendelssohn’s compositions. And yet he succeeded in producing his individual style: an enchanting melody like a “song without words” stamps the Prelude in G major, and even his fugues are pervaded by the most highly imaginative romanticism.

Theme and Variations
The Andante in D major is also remarkable. It is designed as a variation movement; the individual variations increasingly distance themselves from the theme but then return to the point of departure at the end. In his sonatas Mendelssohn quite naturally combines Bachian counterpoint with the sensuous sound of luscious early romantic melodies.

Song of Songs
Yuval Rabin, trained in Haifa, Jerusalem, and Basel, brilliantly presents the outstanding qualities of Mendelssohn’s organ works. His “Hommage à Mendelssohn” based on improvisations on a popular Jewish song for the Sabbath concludes the fine selections on this program recorded in the best 2+2+2 quality. A declaration of love and a musical homage in one!