Mendelssohn’s Confession

The “Reformation Symphony,” misleadingly numbered posthumously as “5” by its publishers, was Mendelssohn’s first confrontation with the large symphonic form in Beethoven’s wake. Linking it conceptually with the 300th anniversary of the “Augsburg Confession” in 1830 seems to have first occurred late in the progress of its composition, yet the premiere did not take place until 1832 and ultimately even enabled the composer to distance himself completely from his work and its concept. Thanks to access to a new source [or, “… new access to sources…” or “…new access to a source…”?], this edition can now finally refute the legend that a separate original or early version of the symphony once existed.