Mendelssohn: Les 6 Sonates pour orgueA tour of Buchholz organs and a new look at familiar works The six Mendelssohn Sonatas for organ, Opus 65 are given a fresh reading by Susan Landale using three organs built by the Buchholz firm. Mendelssohn would have been familiar with Buchholz organs, though none survive in the Berlin area where the family firm was centered for a century. The organs heard here are located in northeastern Germany where they escaped the damages of war and have been restored to 19th-century dimensions. All three of the organs were built from 1819 to 1841, within Mendelssohn’s lifespan of 1809-1847, and are of substantial size (from 50-58 stops.) In her notes, Landale remarks that the various organs seemed to suggest themselves readily as suitable for different sonatas. The interesting CD booklet contains pictures of the organs, stoplists and histories, as well as a nicely written essay on the sonatas themselves. Sonate en fa mineur Op. 65 no. 1 St. Nikolai, Stralsund Sonate en ut mineur Op. 65 no. 2 St Marien, Barth Sonate en la majeur Op. 65 no. 3 St Bartolomaei, Demmin Sonate en si bémol (B-flat) majeur Op. 65 no. 4 St Bartolomaei, Demmin Sonate en ré majeur Op. 65 no. 5 St Marien, Barth Sonate en ré mineur Op. 65 no. 6 St Nikolai, Stralsund |