Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Riko Fukuda

• Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847): Fantasia -Sonate Écossaise-, op.28:
• 1 Fantasia -Sonate Écossaise-, op.28 - Con moto agitato - Andante, Con moto agitato - Andante tempo primo, Con moto agitato 05:13
• 2 Fantasia -Sonate Écossaise-, op.28 - Allegro con moto 02:32
• 3 Fantasia -Sonate Écossaise-, op.28 - Presto 06:44
• Sieben Characterstücke, op.7
• 4 Sieben Characterstücke, op.7 - Sanft mit Empfindung 03:10
• 5 Sieben Characterstücke, op.7 - Mit heftiger Bewegung 02:16
• 6 Sieben Characterstücke, op.7 - Kräftig und feurig 03:48
• 7 Sieben Characterstücke, op.7 - Schnell und beweglich 04:01
• 8 Sieben Characterstücke, op.7 - FUGA: Ernst und mit steigender Lebhaftigkeit 07:54
• 9 Sieben Characterstücke, op.7 - Sehnsuchtig 03:09
• 10 Sieben Characterstücke, op.7 - Leicht und luftig 04:12
• Variations sérieuses, op. 54
• 11 Variations sérieuses, op. 54 12:45
• Sechs Lieder ohne Worte, op.67
• 12 Sechs Lieder ohne Worte, op.67 - Andante 03:07
• 13 Sechs Lieder ohne Worte, op.67 - Allegro leggiero 02:23
• 14 Sechs Lieder ohne Worte, op.67 - Andante tranquillo 02:38
• 15 Sechs Lieder ohne Worte, op.67 - Presto 02:07
• 16 Sechs Lieder ohne Worte, op.67 - Moderato 02:32
• 17 Sechs Lieder ohne Worte, op.67 - Allegro non troppo 02:22
• Total Runtime 01:10:53

Info for Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

As was usual for sons of well to do families in the 18th and 19th century, Felix Mendelssohn also left the Berlin parental home in April 1829 and set out on a journey through Europe to broaden his horizon. Even before the summer he and his friend and travel companion Karl Klingemann arrived in Edinburgh and from there they toured Scotland and sailed along the coast. Felix was struck by the wild Scottish sea- and landscapes and made drawings and water colours. But also the Hebrides Ouverture and Symphony no. 3 (the Scottish) are memorable fruits. Before his travels Mendelssohn had already started to compose the Fantasy in F sharp, which is also called Sonata écossaise (Scottish sonata), but only after the three years’ tour did he finish and publish it. The work is comprised of three parts and continues with the attacca as one big whole. Sieben Charakterstücke op.7 is an early work of Mendelssohn. He wrote it between 1824 and 1826, at the age of 15 up to 17 and dedicated it to his former piano teacher Ludwig Berger. Not all composer geniuses in musical history show such developed composition skill and musicality at such an early age as is shown in this piece. We already see the characteristics that Mendelssohn demonstrates in all works made throughout his entire life: lyrical melodies in nos. 1 and 6, restless perpetuum mobile in nos. 2, 4 and 7, and a composition in the style of J.S.Bach in 3 and 5 (Fuga).

Riko Fukuda, fortepiano

Riko Fukuda
studied piano and oboe at the Toho-Gakuën conservatory in Japan. A grant from the Dutch government enabled her to study with Stanley Hoogland at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where she specialised in fortepiano. Her solo recordings of works by Pinto and Dussek on the Olympia label have met with great acclaim, and in 2001 she released two CDs with piano sonatas of Haydn on Brilliant Classics. Other recent recordings are of Mendelssohn solo works (Aliud Records, 2009), a piano concerto by Sigismund Neukomm and piano concertos by Anton Eberl with the Kölner Akademie conducted by Michael Willens. On harpsichord she made a CD with Sonatas of Johann Sebastian Bach with recorder player Ronald Moelker. Riko is a dedicated chamber musician, and is a founder member of the Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet. She is co-director of Eruditio Musica, an ensemble whose concerts bring to life nineteenth-century music in a historical framework informed by musicological research. She appears regularly in national and international festivals.

Booklet for Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy