Mendelssohn: The Masterworks

Mendelssohn: The Masterworks, produced by Brilliant Classics   ★★★★★
This is not a comprehensive compendium of the works of Mendelssohn, though it is fairly complete, for the most popular works of this composer. This set is a budget offering, and performers are European and often less known, though never second rate. Virtually none of the performances were in any case poorly done, and the recording quality was superb (DDD) throughout. For the price, it remains an extremely good value. Besides excellent performances of his 5 symphonies and two oratorios (Elias and Paulus), you also get performances of his harder-to-find string symphonies, as well as a reasonably complete offering of his chamber works. I don’t see all of his solo vocal works, though a significant number of pieces are included, again, by first-rate singers. All in all, it is a most worthy acquisition for those who appreciate the compositions of Mendelssohn.