Händel & Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn Variation arr. by Florian Christl; Handel Lascia ch'io pianga Reflection arr. by Tim Allhoff; Handel Zadok Variation arr. by Tim Allhoff; G.F. Handel Peace-acaglia - Aleksey Igudesman; Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Op. 64/MWV O14
Niklas Liepe (violin) Nils Liepe (piano)
NDR Radiophilharmonie/Joseph Bastian

SONY CLASSICAL G010005234774C

What happens when you take two master composers from centuries past and run them through a 21st-century prism? The answer, as violinist Niklas Liepe demonstrates on this remarkable recording, is pure sonic alchemy. Händel and Mendelssohn doesn't just bridge historical periods – it demolishes the walls between them entirely, creating something that feels both timelessly familiar and startlingly fresh.

At the heart of this musical expedition lies Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, the very work that first sparked Liepe's love affair with the violin. But this isn't your grandmother's romantic interpretation. Instead, Liepe strips away decades of performative conventions to reveal the work's architectural bones – its crystalline structure and emotional core laid bare with surgical precision. The lyricism flows naturally, each phrase breathing with organic warmth that circulates through all three movements like lifeblood through a living organism.

The real masterstroke comes in the album's conceptual framework. Composer Florian Christl's modern variation on the concerto's main theme creates a fascinating dialogue between eras, like overhearing a conversation between Mendelssohn and his hypothetical contemporary self. It's an inspired pairing that poses the delicious question: what would these titans of classical music sound like if they were composing today?

Liepe extends this temporal juggling act through Aleksey Igudesman's Peace-acaglia, a powerful meditation on unity that feels urgently relevant, and Tim Allhoff's Handel Zadok Variation, which transforms the coronation anthem into something altogether more intimate and universally resonant. The deeply expressive Lascia ch'io pianga rounds out a programme that seamlessly weaves Baroque grandeur, Romantic passion, and contemporary sensibilities into a single, coherent musical tapestry.

What makes this disc truly special is Liepe's restraint. Nothing feels forced or gimmicky – the modernisations emerge organically from the source material rather than being imposed upon it. The clarity of his violin lines is exquisite throughout, each note placed with the precision of a master craftsman while maintaining the spontaneous energy of live discovery.

This is innovative programming executed with both intellectual rigour and pure musical joy. The melodies lodge themselves in your memory and refuse to leave – always the mark of truly effective musical storytelling. Händel and Mendelssohn prove that the past and present don't just coexist; they can dance together beautifully when the right artist holds their hands.