JOURNEES FELIX MENDELSSOHN

This festival was created in 1997 on the initiative of Kurt Masur, then conductor and director of the Gewandhaus. Every year he celebrates one of the greatest local and German composers, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. The latter had chosen Leipzig, his hometown, to write down his musical inspiration and even a huge part of his work. Originally, the festival was mainly aimed at pure initiates, and took place around the anniversary of his death, on November 4. Now, the event has been brought forward to early fall and is more open to the outside world. It takes place over a few days, at the Gewandhaus as well as in the musician's native house. Many representations of the master's works are orchestrated by his contemporaries. Less media coverage than the Bach Festival, less demonstrative than the Wagner Festival, more classical in terms of musical approach, this event enjoys a fine reputation. Note that each edition emphasizes a specificity of Mendelssohn's work.