Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Sergiu Comissiona - Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 'Scottish'; A Midsummer Night's Dream

The Symphony No. 3 'Scottish' was inspired by Mendelssohn's sightseeing visit in 1829 - it wasn't completed until 1842 and is one of the composer's last orchestral works. Visiting Holyrood Chapel, he wrote in a letter that 'Everything is ruined, decayed, and the clear heavens pour in. I think I have found there the beginning of my Scottish Symphony.' The work's unity and cyclic structure is balanced by the stormy poetry of the writing. Romanian-born conductor Sergiu Comissiona galvanised the Baltimore Symphony turning it into an orchestra of national prominence during his tenure as Music Director from 1969 to 1984. Their previously unreleased 1977 recording of excerpts from A Midsummer Night's Dream is a new discovery from the Vox archives. The Elite Recordings for Vox by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.