The Symphony No. 5 in D major/D minor, Op. 107, called
the Reformation Symphony, was composed by Felix
Mendelssohn in 1830 in honor of the 300th anniversary
of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. This
Confession was a key document of Lutheranism and its
Presentation to Emperor Charles V in June 1530 was a
momentous event of the Protestant Reformation. The
symphony was written for a full orchestra and was the
second extended symphony that Mendelssohn had written.
It was not published unt...(+)
The Symphony No. 5 in D major/D minor, Op. 107, called
the Reformation Symphony, was composed by Felix
Mendelssohn in 1830 in honor of the 300th anniversary
of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. This
Confession was a key document of Lutheranism and its
Presentation to Emperor Charles V in June 1530 was a
momentous event of the Protestant Reformation. The
symphony was written for a full orchestra and was the
second extended symphony that Mendelssohn had written.
It was not published until 1868, 21 years after the
composer's death - hence its numbering as '5'. Although
the symphony is not very frequently performed, it is
better known today than it was during Mendelssohn's
lifetime.
I created this arrangement of the third movement of
Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony; arguably one of the
most memorable melodies Mendelssohn ever wrote. I
believe that this version for Viola and Concert (Pedal)
Harp retains all the beauty and finesse of the
original.