In these tense times, one safe way to unwind is to listen to the soothing sounds of chamber music and Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was one of the masters of the form.
In his short life, he accomplished a lot. A virtuoso pianist/organist and conductor, he founded the Leipzig Conservatory of Music and was responsible for reviving interest in neglected composers of the past, notably J.S. Bach. Mendelssohn’s 1829 performance of Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” was the first after Bach’s death in 1750.
