Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E (No. 1), MWV O 5

At the precocious age of fourteen, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) scribbled out his Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E major. He wrote a second, this time longer, double piano concerto the following year. In December 1823, the young composer gave the first performance of the E major concerto with his sister Fanny Mendelssohn. Since he came to regard it as mere juvenilia, it never achieved publication in his lifetime. Filled with stylish finger-work, the concerto clearly served to display the musical gifts of the two siblings. It remained forgotten until a version, which had been revised by the composer himself and edited by Karl-Heinz Köhler, surfaced in 1961 in a Leipzig critical edition. Instrumentation: 1.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo pianos (2 - available separately).