Martin Jones

Mendelssohn: Complete Piano Music

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AllMusic Review by James Leonard

Anyone looking for Mendelssohn's complete piano music -- a repertoire not often performed and less often recorded -- need look no further than this six disc set. It includes everything with an opus number and many things without one: the three Sonatas, the three Variations, the seven Preludes and Fugues, the ten Caprices, and, naturally, the 48 Songs without Words among many, many other works. The performances are consistently first-rate. With his refined technique, polished tone and elegant interpretations, Martin Jones is an impressive Mendelssohn pianist who ideally balances mind and heart in these performances. His Variations Sérieuses is stern but compassionate; his Sonata in G minor is austere but expressive; and his Songs without Words are always singing but also always supremely well-wrought. The only real flaw is the sound. Recorded by Nimbus in the middle to late Seventies, Jones sounds like he's playing behind the heavy curtains while the microphones are placed in the back of a small, empty hall. Still, for first-rate performances of Mendelssohn's complete piano music, this is the set to get, despite the dreary sound.

Track Listing - Disc 1

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Caprices (3) for piano, Op. 33
	1	No. 1	Martin Jones	7:18
	2	No. 2	Martin Jones	7:22
	3	No. 3	Martin Jones	7:51
	4	Capriccio for piano in F sharp minor, Op. 5	Martin Jones	5:51
	5	Capriccio for piano in E major, Op. 118	Martin Jones	6:52
	6	Scherzo for piano in B minor	Martin Jones	0:55
	7	Scherzo a capriccio, for piano in F sharp minor	Martin Jones	5:22
	8	Rondo capriccioso, for piano in E major, Op. 14	Martin Jones	6:09
	9	Perpetuum Mobile, for piano in C major, Op. 119	Martin Jones	2:48
Klavierstücke (2) for piano
	10	No. 1	Martin Jones	2:26
	11	No. 2	Martin Jones	2:27
	12	Andante cantabile & Presto agitato, for piano in B major	Martin Jones	7:38

Track Listing - Disc 2

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Piano Sonata in B flat major, Op. 106
	1	1. Allegro vivace	Martin Jones	5:31
	2	2. Scherzo. Allegro non troppo	Martin Jones	3:00
	3	3. Andante quasi allegretto	Martin Jones	4:31
	4	4. Allegro moderato	Martin Jones	3:47
Piano Sonata in E major, Op. 6
	5	1. Allegretto con espressione	Martin Jones	5:55
	6	2. Tempo di menuetto	Martin Jones	4:18
	7	3. Adagio e senza tempo	Martin Jones	5:55
	8	4. Molto allegro e vivace	Martin Jones	6:11
Piano Sonata in G minor, Op. 105
	9	1. Allegro	Martin Jones	5:57
	10	2. Adagio	Martin Jones	6:08
	11	3. Presto	Martin Jones	3:50
Kinderstücke (6) for piano ("Christmas Pieces"), Op. 72
	12	1. Allegro non troppo	Martin Jones	0:59
	13	2. Andante sostenuto	Martin Jones	1:32
	14	3. Allegretto	Martin Jones	0:50
	15	4. Andante con moto	Martin Jones	1:14
	16	5. Allegro assai	Martin Jones	1:30
	17	6. Vivace	Martin Jones	1:23

Track Listing - Disc 3

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Preludes & Fugues (6) for piano, Op. 35
	1	No. 1 in E minor. Allegro con fuoco	Martin Jones	2:06
	2	No. 1 in E minor. Andante espressivo	Martin Jones	6:32
	3	No. 2 in D major. Allegretto	Martin Jones	2:53
	4	No. 2 in D major. Tranquillo e sempre legato	Martin Jones	3:15
	5	No. 3 in B minor. Prestissimo staccato	Martin Jones	1:53
	6	No. 3 in B minor. Allegro con brio	Martin Jones	2:57
	7	No. 4 in A flat major. Con moto	Martin Jones	2:49
	8	No. 4 in A flat major. Con moto, ma sostenuto	Martin Jones	3:59
	9	No. 5 in F minor. Andante lento	Martin Jones	5:31
	10	No. 5 in F minor. Allegro con fuoco	Martin Jones	3:34
	11	No. 6 in B flat minor. Maestoso moderato	Martin Jones	2:30
	12	No. 6 in B flat minor. Allegro con brio	Martin Jones	3:05
Prelude & Fugue for piano in E minor
	13	Prelude - Allegro molto	Martin Jones	2:03
	14	Fugue - Allegro energico	Martin Jones	4:04
Preludes (3) & Etudes (3) for piano, Op. 104
	15	Prelude No. 1 in B flat major. Allegro molto e vivace	Martin Jones	2:43
	16	Prelude No. 2 in B minor. Allegro agitato	Martin Jones	1:28
	17	Prelude No. 3 in D major. Allegro vivace	Martin Jones	1:56
	18	Study No. 1 in B flat minor. Presto	Martin Jones	2:02
	19	Study No. 2 in F major. Allegro con moto	Martin Jones	3:02
	20	Study No. 3 in A minor. Allegro vivace	Martin Jones	1:29
	21	Etude for piano in F minor	Martin Jones	1:38

Track Listing - Disc 4

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
	1	Variations sérieuses, for piano in D minor, Op. 54	Martin Jones	10:54
Fantasies or Caprices (3) for piano, Op. 16
	2	1. Andante con moto	Martin Jones	4:38
	3	2. Scherzo. Presto	Martin Jones	2:22
	4	3. Andante	Martin Jones	3:22
	5	Variations for piano in E flat major, Op. 82	Martin Jones	7:51
Fantasy for piano in F sharp minor ("Sonate écossaise"), Op. 28
	6	1. Con moto agitato	Martin Jones	6:38
	7	2. Allegro con moto	Martin Jones	2:23
	8	3. Presto	Martin Jones	5:36
	9	Variations for piano in B flat major, Op. 83	Martin Jones	8:13
	10	Fantasy on "The Last Rose of Summer" for piano in E major, Op. 15	Martin Jones	7:04

Track Listing - Disc 5

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Songs without Words (6) for piano, Book 1, Op. 19b
	1	No. 1 in E major. Andante con moto	Martin Jones	2:42
	2	No. 2 in A minor. Andante espressivo	Martin Jones	1:31
	3	No. 3 in A major. Molto allegro e vivace (Hunting Song)	Martin Jones	2:04
	4	No. 4 in A major. Moderato	Martin Jones	2:00
	5	No. 5 in F sharp minor. Poco agitato	Martin Jones	3:00
	6	No. 6 in G minor. Andante sostenuto (Venetian Gondola Song)	Martin Jones	2:05
Songs without Words (6) for piano, Book 2, Op. 30
	7	No. 1 in E flat major. Andante espressivo	Martin Jones	3:36
	8	No. 2 in B flat minor. Allegro di molto	Martin Jones	1:52
	9	No. 3 in E major. Adagio non troppo	Martin Jones	2:00
	10	No. 4 in B minor. Agitato e con fuoco	Martin Jones	2:35
	11	No. 5 in D major. Andante grazioso	Martin Jones	1:54
	12	No. 6 in F sharp minor. Allegretto tranquillo (Venetian Gondola Song)	Martin Jones	2:22
Songs without Words (6) for piano, Book 3, Op. 38
	13	No. 1 in E flat major. Con moto	Martin Jones	2:25
	14	No. 2 in C minor. Allegro non troppo	Martin Jones	1:55
	15	No. 3 in E major. Presto e molto vivace	Martin Jones	1:49
	16	No. 4 in A major. Andante	Martin Jones	2:41
	17	No. 5 in A minor. Agitato	Martin Jones	2:22
	18	No. 6 in A flat major (Duetto). Andante con moto	Martin Jones	3:00
Songs without Words (6) for piano, Book 4, Op. 53
	19	No. 1 in A flat major. Andante con moto	Martin Jones	2:43
	20	No. 2 in E flat major. Allegro non troppo	Martin Jones	1:57
	21	No. 3 in G minor. Presto agitato	Martin Jones	2:01
	22	No. 4 in F major. Adagio	Martin Jones	2:42
	23	No. 5 in A minor. Allegro con fuoco (Folksong)	Martin Jones	2:29
	24	No. 6 in A major. Molto allegro vivace	Martin Jones	2:11
Songs without Words (6) for piano, Book 5, Op. 62
	25	No. 1 in G major. Andante espressivo	Martin Jones	2:04
	26	No. 2 in B flat major. Allegro con fuoco	Martin Jones	1:43
	27	No. 3 in E minor. Andante maestoso (Funeral March)	Martin Jones	3:24
	28	No. 4 in G major. Allegro con anima	Martin Jones	1:34
	29	No. 5 in A minor. Andnate con moto (Venetian Gondola Song)	Martin Jones	2:23
	30	No. 6 in A major. Allegretto grazioso (Spring Song)	Martin Jones	2:02

Track Listing - Disc 6

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time
Characteristic Pieces (7) for piano, Op. 7
	1	No. 1 in E minor. Andante	Martin Jones	3:26
	2	No. 2 in B minor. Allegro vivace	Martin Jones	1:52
	3	No. 3 in D major. Allegro vivace	Martin Jones	3:16
	4	No. 4 in A major. Con moto	Martin Jones	3:06
	5	No. 5 in A major. Fuga	Martin Jones	5:58
	6	No. 6 in E minor. Andante	Martin Jones	2:53
	7	No. 7 in E major. Presto	Martin Jones	3:34
	8	Gondollied, for piano in A major ("Barcarole")	Martin Jones	1:32
	9	Albumblatt for piano in E minor, Op. 117	Martin Jones	3:57
Songs without Words (6) for piano, Book 6, Op. 67
	10	No. 1 in E flat major. Andante	Martin Jones	1:57
	11	No. 2 in F sharp minor. Allegro leggiero	Martin Jones	1:37
	12	No. 3 in B flat major. Andante tranquillo	Martin Jones	2:23
	13	No. 4 in C major. Presto	Martin Jones	1:45
	14	No. 5 in B minor. Moderato	Martin Jones	1:51
	15	No. 6 in E major. Allegretto non troppo	Martin Jones	1:58
Songs without Words (6) for piano, Book 7, Op. 85
	16	No. 1 in F major. Andante espressivo	Martin Jones	2:19
	17	No. 2 in A minor. Allegro agitato	Martin Jones	0:52
	18	No. 3 in E flat major. Presto	Martin Jones	2:09
	19	No. 4 in D major. Andante sostenuto	Martin Jones	1:49
	20	No. 5 in A major. Allegretto	Martin Jones	1:52
	21	No. 6 in B flat major. Allegretto con moto	Martin Jones	1:58
Songs without Words (6) for piano, Book 8, Op. 102
	22	No. 1 in E minor. Andante un poco agitato	Martin Jones	2:23
	23	No. 2 in D major. Adagio	Martin Jones	2:07
	24	No. 3 in C major. Presto	Martin Jones	1:19
	25	No. 4 in G minor. Un poco agitato, ma andante	Martin Jones	1:49
	26	No. 5 in A major. Allegro vivace	Martin Jones	1:08
	27	No. 6 in C major. Andante	Martin Jones	2:06
	28	Song Without Words for piano No. 41 in A major, Op. 85/5	Martin Jones	1:53
	29	Song Without Words for piano No. 44 in D major, Op. 102/2	Martin Jones	1:42

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