Mendelssohn’s Symphonies No. 1 and No. 4
The esteemed Italian conductor, Daniele Gatti, takes to the Florentine stage at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino for a concert featuring two symphonies by Felix Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 11, and Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90. The highly respected Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra performs these two 19th-century symphonic masterpieces under the baton of Gatti, who was named as the Teatro's Director of Music in 2026.
Mendelssohn composed his Symphony No. 1 in 1824, when he was only 15 years old. The four-movement work was first performed privately on 14 November 1824 at a social gathering to celebrate the 19th birthday of Mendelssohn's sister, Fanny. It would go on to receive a public premiere, performed by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, on 1 February 1827 and be published in 1831. Three of the movements are in C minor, often expressing urgency, something that is certainly notable in the opening allegro sonata-based movement. The fourth movement is also primarily orchestrated in the same key but modulates to C major in the symphony's final passages, suggesting verve and uplift.
The next piece on the bill is Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4, often referred to as the Italian Symphony. In the early 1830s, the still young composer travelled to Italy, spending his time in Florence, Rome, Naples and Venice, a trip that inspired much of the music in this symphony. The Fourth Symphony was completed by Mendelssohn in 1833. However, the work was not published while the composer was alive because he remained unsatisfied with it. Indeed, the composer revised the symphony twice, once in 1837 and again in 1847. He may well have continued to make alterations had he not died in November 1847 aged 38. Mendelssohn himself conducted his symphonic collection of Italian impressions and culture at its premiere which took place in London on 13 May 1833, at a concert of the London Philharmonic Society.
Daniele Gatti has served as Music Director of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma in a career that has included numerous other prestigious roles with renowned orchestras. This concert at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence constitutes another highlight in his work with the institution which has previously included performances of the complete Tchaikovsky symphonies and operas such as The Rake's Progress, Don Pasquale, Tosca and Madama Butterfly.