Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly

An all Mendelssohn programme brought nothing but delight and a sense of joy throughout. If the open textured lightness of the Overture Ruy Blas seemed almost too genial for Victor Hugo’s dour play it set the tone for an evening of constant enchantment.

The violin concerto was sweet toned throughout. If the soloist Nikolaj Znaider was mercifully short on histrionics he was blessed with a magnificent technique and mellifluous lyricism. His discrete Bach encore, so beautifully structured, only added to our understanding of his musicianship.

After the interval came two less familiar works, given in new versions by Christopher Hogwood, which restore the composer’s original intentions. The Overture The Fair Melusine was Mendelssohn’s answer to a somewhat second-rate response from Conradin Kreutzer. He writes in a style reminiscent of the Hebrides Overture with storms and heroic blasts carrying us to a safe conclusion.

The composer’s Reformation symphony is numbered as his fifth but is actually his second, though hidden away because of an unfavourable reception. It is certainly more demanding on the ear than the other symphonic works but none the less impressive. The earlier version includes an extended solo flute passage to link the Andante to the final setting of Ein feste Burg and this works so well it seems strange that Mendelssohn changed it.

As an encore we heard the wedding march from the incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream – and all went home happy. BH