The Symphony no.3 ‘Scottish’ was inspired by Mendelssohn’s sightseeing visit in 1829 – it wasn’t completed until 1842 and is one of the composer’s last orchestral works. Visiting Holyrood Chapel, he wrote in a letter that ‘Everything is ruined, decayed, and the clear heavens pour in. I think I have found there the beginning of my “Scottish” Symphony.’ The work’s unity and cyclic structure is balanced by the stormy poetry of the writing. Romanian-born conductor Sergiu Comissiona galvanised the Baltimore Symphony, turning it into an orchestra of national prominence during his tenure as Music Director from 1969 to 1984. Their previously unreleased 1977 recording of excerpts from A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a new discovery from the Vox archives.

Sergiu Comissiona held music directorships with some of North America’s leading ensembles, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and was also music director of the New York City Opera.

Beginning in 1969 he spent 15 years with the Baltimore Symphony and transformed it from a little-known ensemble into a nationally respected orchestra, eventually taking it on its first international tour and directing it in its first recordings. Critic Stephen Wigler of the Baltimore Sun said, ‘the modern Baltimore Symphony was created by Sergiu Comissiona’.

The Mendelssohn Symphony no.3 was recorded in 1974, so this is its 50th anniversary.

Recorded in 1977, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is receiving its first release on any format.

‘Comissiona’s imaginative approach to the Symphony emphasizes the lightness and grace of the score with a scherzo that bubbles, and a finale that reaches a strong, glowing climax.’ – Robert E. Benson from Forecast

‘Comissiona is an outstanding conductor who has brought the orchestra in Baltimore to a high degree of ensemble precision and tonal polish.’ – Levering Bronston from The New Records

The Elite Recordings for Vox by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

Supervised by Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz, these Vox recordings are acknowledged as Audiophile classics.