Mendelssohn : Symphonie n° 2 “Lobgesang”. De Vriend.

   in Choir & Organ (Jul, 2013)
This spirited performance of Mendelssohn’s symphony-cantata genuinely makes one re-evaluate the piece. Not only does it receive a committed reading from De Vriend (he clearly believes in the work), but also the lithe playing of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra suggests they are also totally inside this music. Indeed, their approach appears to have benefited from some under- standing of 19th-century performance practice. There is some particularly delightful woodwind playing in the second movement from this orchestra, who are too little known outside their homeland. The vocal finale could perhaps have done with a slightly more substantial choral sound, especially against the full orchestra, but Consensus Vocalis does offer a nicely judged …