Felix Mendelssohn Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

Piano Sonata No. 3 in B-flat major, Op. 106Felix Mendelssohn43rank/position

ILSE VON ALPENHEIM plays MENDELSSOHN Piano Sonata Op.106 (1975)

This is a work Mendelssohn composed at the age of 18.

Among his sonatas, it is often performed and well loved.

Mendelssohn deeply admired Beethoven.

This piece was composed in 1827, the year Beethoven passed away, and it shares many similarities with Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata.

It has four movements, each of them superb, with an average performance time of about 20 minutes.

The first movement begins powerfully and brilliantly; the scherzo is played with lightness; the third movement sings with graceful melody.

It proceeds attacca from the third to the fourth movement, where the gentle tune is sweet and beguiling, and the work closes as if fading away with arpeggios.

In general, even Mendelssohn’s minor-key works lack a sense of tragedy or gloom; they are beautiful, fresh, and richly poetic.

Even among piano works, the difference in character stands out when compared to those of his contemporary, Chopin.

Please enjoy about 18 minutes with Ilse von Alpenheim at the piano.

Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49Felix Mendelssohn44rank/position

ATOS Trio: Mendelssohn – Trio no.1 in d-minor, op.49 – live at Wigmore Hall

This piano trio for piano, violin, and cello is the work that Schumann praised, saying: “Just as Beethoven’s B-flat major and D major trios and Schubert’s E-flat major trio are their masterpieces, this is the trio of a grand master of our time.

It is an exceptionally fine work that will delight our grandchildren and great-grandchildren for many years to come.” Schumann, his wife Clara Schumann, and Mendelssohn enjoyed a warm friendship.

Mendelssohn, founder and director of the Leipzig Conservatory, was one year older than Schumann and offered them support in many ways.

As a critic and concert promoter (producer), Mendelssohn also helped introduce Schumann’s symphonies.

The performers are the Borodin Trio; movements I–IV, total performance time approximately 31 minutes.

If it feels long, please listen in sections.

Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66Felix Mendelssohn45rank/position

Mendelssohn – Piano trio n°2 – Oistrakh / Knushevitsky / Oborin

Like the First Piano Trio, this piece is suffused with melancholy.

It isn’t as well known as the First and is performed less often, but if you listen closely, you’ll find it deeply rewarding.

From the passionate first movement—which begins quietly, then swells like an emotional river and builds in tension—to the finale of the fourth movement, clear and radiant like a spotless sky, it is a work of great depth.

This is a somewhat old recording from 1948.

Please enjoy the performance by the legendary violinist David Oistrakh, with Sviatoslav Knushevitsky on cello and Lev Oborin at the piano.

Oistrakh visited Japan in 1955 and caused a sensation; though it’s a lesser-known novel, Yasushi Inoue’s “The Black Butterfly” was inspired by Oistrakh’s visit.

Duration: 29 minutes.

Fingal’s Cave, Op. 26: Concert OvertureFelix Mendelssohn46rank/position

Mendelssohn – The Hebrides Overture, Op. 26

This piece is the overture Mendelssohn composed after being inspired by Fingal’s Cave during his visit to Scotland at age 20.

It vividly depicts the cave’s mysterious atmosphere and the movement of the sea, as if painting a landscape with music.

The opening theme conveys the cave’s power and beauty, while the second theme portrays the surging waves.

Richard Wagner reportedly praised it as “a work like a first-rate landscape painting.” Highly recommended for those who want to express natural scenery through music.

With a performance time of about nine minutes, why not listen while imagining Scotland’s majestic landscapes?

From the Motets, No. 1 “Lord, Come” Op. 39-1Felix Mendelssohn47rank/position

Felix Mendelssohn – Veni Domine Op. 39/1

During his trip to Rome, Mendelssohn stayed near the Trinità dei Monti convent for nuns, located at the top of the Spanish Steps.

Attending the convent’s Mass every day, he heard the soft, plaintive, beautiful voices of the nuns—who, at the time, did not appear before the public—singing from behind the scenes.

Moved to write something for them, he composed motets (music for the Divine Office) for the nuns.

Mendelssohn remarked, “Though we do not know each other’s faces, what a delight it is to hear them sing sacred music composed by me, a barbaric German.” Perhaps owing to lingering resentment from the Migration Period, Italians and other Latin peoples of the time regarded Germans as barbarians.

Thus the beautiful first piece, sung in Latin, came to be composed.

Rondo Capriccioso in E major, Op. 14Felix Mendelssohn48rank/position

36th Winners’ Commemorative Concert / Kana Yoshihara Mendelssohn: Rondo Capriccioso in E major, Op. 14

Felix Mendelssohn, a German composer who left behind many delicate and graceful works.

Among them, the Rondo Capriccioso, Op.

14, showcases his technical finesse and emotional richness.

Beginning with a calm, lyrical Andante and gradually accelerating into the main rondo section, this piece offers an excellent opportunity for middle school students learning piano to experience the essence of Romantic music.

Because the left-hand leaps are unexpectedly challenging, try isolating passages and practicing them carefully.

Nurturing both expressiveness and technique, this piece is an ideal choice for middle schoolers aiming to elevate their performance level by participating in a recital.

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 – Movement IFelix Mendelssohn49rank/position

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, First Movement (Op. 64-1) (Piano Score)

The first movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.

64, is a beloved staple of the violin concerto repertoire.

While it fully showcases the instrument’s appeal, its wistful melody and sentimental character also pair beautifully with the piano.

When expressing its passionate lines on the piano, it’s important to keep in mind violin-specific phrasing.

Why not enjoy a delicate and beautiful piano arrangement that offers a different flavor from the original’s rich texture for orchestra and solo violin?