Main content

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 'Scottish'

Stephen Johnson explores Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 'Scottish', a work inspired by a visit the composer made to Scotland as a young man.

It was during a walking tour of Scotland in 1829 that the 20 year old Felix Mendelssohn visited the Palace of Holyrood. There, while walking among the ruins of Queen Mary's home, he began to form the first ideas for his Third Symphony. However, the gestation period turned out to be lengthy. By the time Mendelssohn completed the work in 1842, his holiday 13 years earlier was a distant memory. Stephen Johnson examines the symphony's relationship to its nickname, the "Scottish".

Available now

20 minutes

Credit

Role Contributor
Composer Felix Mendelssohn

Broadcast

  • Fri 1 Nov 2013 20:10

Featured in...