I recently gave a talk about Mendelssohn, a composer I still consider vastly underappreciated (see here). For such an important composer, it is a little jarring to realize that even now not only are the majority of his works little-known—in many cases completely unknown—but unrecorded, unperformed, and in several cases not even cataloged. This is criminal. That he wrote about 700 works in his short 38 years attests to a remarkable productivity. Happily, a truly complete edition has finally been undertaken as a project and will hopefully be completed soon.

Of course not everything will be of equal interest. One of his best-known and most beloved tunes, for example, known in the English-speaking world as "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" was originally part of a cantata celebrating the invention of the Gutenberg Printing Press, I kid you not. I own a copy of the score, but I've never even heard of a modern performance or recording of the work. I'm not convinced this is a big loss, but I'd still go to the show, or buy the recording, should the opportunity arise.

This said, for such a gifted prodigy—perhaps the greatest in history—it will be enlightening, indeed, to have the opportunity to examine his youthful works in particular when the edition is completed. Among the works of youth one finds all of his completed operas and singspielen. Mendelssohn was an interesting case, coming at a pivotal point between what would become known as the Classical and Romantic Eras, and this is reflected in much of his work. All four of his youthful operas were written as more-or-less academic studies, with the approval of his teacher, Carl Friedrich Zelter, and yet, at least in the case of this month's work, it brims with verve, élan, elegance, and charm. The overture has hints of Weber, and not a little Midsummer Night's Dream, but much of the rest of the work smacks more of a Mozartian aesthetic.

A case in point is the arietta of the servant, Lisette, from Act II. The libretto is not exactly enthralling, but it is pleasant enough and not more flawed or stupid than many other operas, both masterpieces and lesser works. It is the great polish of Mendelssohn's writing which is, of course, of primary interest here. Though no one will mistake this for the violin concerto or the Scottish symphony, it is excellent work, nonetheless, pleasant and shockingly developed for the thirteen/fourteen year-old who wrote it.