Felix Mendelssohn

Erik Levi basks in the Mediterranean sunshine and sips a limoncello as he enjoys the genial company of this most radiant of orchestral works

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The work

‘Italy at last! And what I have all my life considered as the greatest possible felicity is now begun, and I am basking in it. Every hour spent here has brought with it so much never to be forgotten, that I do not know where to find sufficient grasp of intellect to comprehend it all properly.’

Writing to his parents in November 1830, Felix Mendelssohn could hardly curb his excitement at having arrived in Venice on the first stage of a ten-month tour of Italy. Following in the footsteps of the poet Goethe, who some years earlier had undertaken a similar journey, the composer waxed lyrical about many things the country had to offer. He was awestruck by the imposing ancient buildings of Italy's great cities and mesmerised by seeing some of the masterpieces of Italian Renaissance art in the flesh. No less inspiring were the beauties of the countryside and the warm and sunny climate.

Overriding his sheer delight at soaking up Italy's unique atmosphere, however, was a concern to maintain and expand his horizons as a composer. Several new works were planned during this period, including a Symphony in A major, to which he attached the nickname 'Italian'. The first direct reference to this composition appears in a letter from February 1831 while he was staying in Rome. Claiming that he had already made rapid progress on the symphony, Mendelssohn confidently predicted that it 'will become the happiest piece I have written - indeed, the ultimate in cheerfulness.' There are further oblique mentions of the 'Italian' Symphony during his visit to Naples later in 1831, but it was only on his return to Berlin the following year that Mendelssohn received the strongest impetus to actually complete the work.