Mendelssohn: 3 Fantasies or Capriccios, Op. 16

Description

Felix, on his return journey from Scotland in late summer 1829, spent a few sublimely beautiful days with the Taylor family in Wales. The "Trois Fantaisies ou Caprices, Op. 16" for piano that he wrote there were originally to have been called "Erinnerungen" [Memories], since each was dedicated to one of the three daughters of this English family.

The hand-signed autographs are extant, and – along with several other manuscripts and first editions – serve as the basis for this Urtext edition. The extensive preface, which includes quotations from the composer's letters, lets the reader glimpse the magical atmosphere of the Welsh sojourn, and convey how a "troika of melodious, rich and not overly difficult treasures came to be written", as the music trade press has written concerning Henle's edition.

Pieces

• Fantasy in A Minor, MWV U 70, Op. 16, No. 1
• Scherzo in E Minor, MWV U 71, Op. 16, No. 2
• Fantasia in E Major ("The Rivulet"), MWV U 72, Op. 16, No. 3