Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation Information

December 2005

On 16th October 2003, Wolfgang pleasure of knowing that he will continue to serve on the Board and the Tiefensee, as Lord Mayor of , Kuratorium of the Foundation, and will share in the future of Leipzig's devo- put his name to the Constitution of the tion to Mendelssohn. Bartholdy Foun- We very much look forward to further flourishing and inspiring co-opera- dation, which had been carefully dis- tion, and above all we wish Wolfgang Tiefensee strength and good fortune in cussed and formulated over many his new and important Federal office. months, thereby completing its forma- tion. Without this action, and above all without his unwavering efforts for our goals, this formation, like much else in the Mendelssohn House, would not have been possible. Together with Town Councillors of all parties, and with Dr. Georg Girardet, the Culture Represen- tative of the City of Leipzig, he focus- sed above all on the continuing sup- port of the Foundation for its respon- sibilities towards the Mendelssohn House. Thus the financial basis for the upkeep and development of the Mendelssohn legacy was successfully consolidated. This is of incalculable and lasting value. However, since the Chairmanship of the Foundation's Board is formally linked to the office of Lord Mayor of Leipzig, the new Federal Minister Tiefensee will not be able to continue in this function.

Our gratitude for his previous bene- Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy making music with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, fient work is combined with the great contemporary drawing, Central Library Zurich

Members of the Kuratorium Supporters’ Circle Friends’ Circle Dr. Jürgen Friedel Dr. Wulff Aengevelt Ulrike Krill de Capello Tomoko Masur und Prof. Kurt Masur Karin Martin Hélène Mercier-Arnault Dr. Clauss Riedberg Stadt Leipzig Heide Schwarzweller Elisabeth Augereau Emiko Tsuji Dr. Undine Thofern Elke Weber-Braun

S. 2 Foundation Activities...

Mendelssohn in London and in Hamburg

On 28th September 2005 the which was an opportunity to talk infor- 24th October 2005. We move to German Ambassador in London Thomas mally with the guests about the Hamburgand the Komödie Winterhuder Matussek and his wife invited guests to Foundation and its aims. There were Fährhaus. The Leipzig Felix Mendels- a Gala Event in their Residence. The many interesting conversations and sohn Bartholdy Foundation and the occasion was the presentation in London contacts, which can be developed in Hamburg International Felix Mendels- future. sohn Bartholdy Society invited guests The brochures, which had been pre- to an "Evening for Mendelssohn". pared in four languages in the previo- Hannelore Greve, President of the Hamburg Society, and Kurt Masur, Prof. Masur with Mr & President of the Leipzig Foundation, had Mrs Boden of London, jointly proposed to dedicate a literary- long-standing suppor- ters of the musical evening to commemorate Mendelssohn House Fanny Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn The host of the evening (right) with Kurt and us year and already used in Paris, were Bartholdy. Very many music-lovers Tomoko Masur and Dr Thomas Wach (Switzerland) handed out. These were again greatly responded to this invitation, and expe- a great grandson of Mendelssohn appreciated. rienced a programme of the highest cul- of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Many of the guests left their addres- tural standard. Foundation and its work, to win new ses, so that they could be kept regular- friends and supporters for the goals of ly informed about further activities of Dr Georg Girardet represented the Foundation there. the Foundation. Wolfgang Tiefensee as Chairman of the After some words of welcome from "The UK Friends of the Felix Leipzig Board, and welcomed the the Ambassador, a short film in English Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation" guests. was showed, with Sir Peter Ustinov tal- Christian Quadflieg read from the king about the composer and his last letters and travel recollections of Felix house in Leipzig. This was to set the Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The compo- mood for those guests not fully famili- ser's works formed a perfect framework ar with Mendelssohn, and was received for the sympathetic and graphic rea- with appreciation and applause. dings. The performers were Julius Maestro Kurt Masur in a moving Bekesch and Ludovica Nardone, violins; speech told the guests about his jour- Stefan Neuhäuser, viola; Hendrik ney towards music and towards HE Thomas Matussek, Dr Wach with his wife Prem Zwener, 'cello - all are graduates of the Mendelssohn. We then enjoyed a musi- and Jürgen Ernst Director of the Foundation - wor- Hamburg Music High School. With their cal contribution from the Trio Belle king for years to honour Mendelssohn particularly felicitous interpretation Epoque (Patrick Savage, violin; Pavlos they contributed emphatically to the Carvalho, 'cello; will be formed in London shortly. Those success of the evening. When every- Jakob Fichert, pia- interested in joining should get in touch one got together afterwards in the no) with Mendels- with the Foundation's UK Board Restaurant Allegria, the discussions sohn's Piano Trio Member and Representative, Desmond lasted much longer than usual, which No. 1 in d-minor, Cecil CMG; 38 Palace Road, East Molesey, demonstrated the interest in opus 49. Surrey KT8 9DL; Mendelssohn matters and the wonder- This was followed with a Reception tel; 020 8783 1998; ful atmosphere of the whole evening. hosted by the Ambassador and his wife, email; [email protected] Thanks are due to the Donner-Bank Hamburg for their repeated sponsor- ship, and to the many guests, without whom the success of the Gala would not have been possible. Above all, warm thanks are due to Heide Schwarzweller, whose inexhaus- tible energy and generous advocacy of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy over the Tomoko and Kurt Masur with Lady Rothermere Maestro Kurt Masur and his wife in conversation (right), who has already indicated her support for with the UK Representative of the Felix Mendels- years made this evening both possible further plans of the Foundation sohn Bartholdy Foundation, Desmond Cecil and so successful.

...international S. 3

Tokyo and Osaka celebrate Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

After the interval the guests were able to enjoy a particularly attractive musical item; Tomoko and Kurt Masur together performed some of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Lieder. This

Tomoko and Kurt Masur at their joint appearance at the Gala on 23rd October 2005 in Osaka Maestro Masur making his speech

Asia welcomed the Masur husband The Mendelssohn tour continued opened the musical part of the evening, and wife team in October. After a con- to Osaka, where Mrs Emiko Tsuji, who which Professor Okayama, a friend of cert tour through South Korea, they for many years has been a tireless the Mendelssohn House for many years, both arrived in Tokyo on 22nd October, champion of the Mendelssohn House had put together, and which the stu- to promote the Felix Mendelssohn and who since last year has been a dents of the Tokyo Music Faculty per- Bartholdy Foundation in the German member of the Kuratorium of the Felix formed. They played Mendelssohn's Embassy there. The clear aim was to Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation, Octet opus 20, which he had composed assemble a circle of potential Japanese organised a Gala Concert for 750 people at the age of 16. sponsors from all areas of society, art, on 23rd October. science, economy and politics, who Tomoko Masur, delighted and visi- would also support the aims and tasks bly moved, accepted a generous dona- of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy tion for the Foundation, and in her Foundation in future. speech thanked for such outstanding support for the future tasks of the His Excellency Henrik Schmiegelow Foundation. welcomed the proposal with great enthusiasm, invited well-known repre- The evening ended with an elegant sentatives of the economy, politics and dinner for the guests, who with their the arts, and offered the hospitality of donations had contributed to the suc- his Residence. Mrs Tsuji, the organiser of the Gala, welcomes the cess of the Gala and to the support of many guests the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Dr Kazoi Watanabe from the Board Mrs Tsuji warmly welcomed her Foundation. They were all owed a spe- of the Mendelssohn House and for guests, and invited them to watch a cial thank-you from Leipzig, especially many years active in the support of his Japanese-dubbed version of the Peter Mrs Emiko Tsuji for her great commit- revered Mendelssohn also assembled Ustinov film about the Mendelssohn ment to the growth of the Foundation's a circle of interested guests, who might House in Leipzig. Afterwards Maestro capital. support future activities financially. Kurt Masur spoke to the assembled Japanese guests about the still un- Professor and Mrs Masur were also Thus the fund-raising concert in known aspects of Mendelssohn and his warmly thanked for their generous sup- Tokyo in 2006 (see page 4) already has actual role in the musical life of port for the Foundation and for the plan- a sound basis of Mendelssohn friends. Europe. ning of so many benefit evenings.

S. 4 Miscellaneous

Sponsors and supporters since August 2005 Imprint

Frau Karin Martin Frau Charlotte Schröter Frau Dagmar Nollenberg Frau Dr. Undine Thofern Herr Dr. Clauss Riedberg Frau Emiko Tsuji Frau Dr. Ingeborg Schmidt Herr Prof. Siegfried Schmidt Many warm thanks!

A look forward to future international events President: Prof. Kurt Masur

In the coming years the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Foundation will con- acting Chairman Dr. Georg Girardet, tinue, and where possible develop its international work. of the Board Councillor of Culture Currently the following events are planned; Board: Dr. Peter Krüger 26th February 2006. Promotion or Benefit Event in Cambridge UK, Prof. Andreas Schulz organised by Cambridge University. Director: Jürgen Ernst 17th March 2006. Promotion Evening for the FMBF at the invitation of and in the Residence of the German Consul in New York. Ambassador: Tomoko Masur

8th April 2006. Benefit Gala and Concert with the Orchestra of La Fenice under Representative: Desmond Cecil (London) Kurt Masur in the Teatro Malibran in Venice. Programme; Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream Overture opus 21, Address: Italian Symphony opus 90, Shostakovich Symphony No. 5. Mendelssohn-Haus Leipzig Goldschmidtstraße 12, D - 04103 Leipzig 13th April 2006. Gala Concert for the FMBF in the Auditorio Conciliazione Rome, Telephone: +49 (0) 341-1 27 02 94 organised by the Toscanini Foundation. Works exclusively by Faksimile: +49 (0) 341-2 11 52 88 Mendelssohn, Overture Ruy Blas opus 95, Violin Concerto E-Mail: [email protected] in e-minor opus 64, Scottish Symphony opus 56. Internet: www.mendelssohn-stiftung.de Toscanini Orchestra under Maestro Kurt Masur. Account: Deutsche Bank Leipzig 10th December 2006. Gala Concert in Tokyo, organised by the FMBF. Kurt Masur will bank code: 860 700 24 conduct the Geidai orchestra of the State High School for Music in account 455 56 78 an exclusively Mendelssohn programme. More details 28th February 2007. Benefit Reception following a Concert with the Orchestra under Kurt Masur in the Avery Fisher Hall Editor and Designer: New York. Programme; Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture opus 26, Christiane Schmidt (responsible) Sibelius Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6. Texts: 2007. Mendelssohn Ball in Leipzig to celebrate the 80th Jürgen Ernst birthday of Maestro Kurt Masur. Tomoko Masur Christiane Schmidt March 2008. Master Class for young musicians in New York on Mendelssohn's works. Further information in Spring 2007. English Translation: Desmond Cecil 4th February 2009. Benefit Gala and Concert to celebrate the 200th birthday of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy with the New York Philharmonic under Pictures and illustrations: Kurt Masur. The programme will include only works by Archives Emiko Tsuji Mendelssohn, including the Violin Concerto in e minor opus 64 German Embassy in London, Archives with Anne-Sophie Mutter, and the First Walpurgis Night opus 60. Mendelssohn-Haus Leipzig, Archives Christiane Schmidt Members of the Kuratorium, of Friends and Supporters Circles, of the Central Library Zurich Mendelssohn House Society, and all music lovers who would be interested in the above events should write to the address opposite, so that we can send out Print: invitations as applicable in due course. Fischer Druck, Großpösna