This set of publications requires an introductory remark. Three of the four volumes are revised publications of the 2005 edition; the only completely new volume is BA 9060. The other revisions are as follows: in addition to R. Larry Todd's 2005 preface, ‘Genesis and Publication’, the front matter to the full score (BA 9099) is greatly expanded by three new sections: ‘The Solo Part and Its Earliest Performers’, by Clive Brown; ‘Hubert Léonard’, by Richard Sutcliffe; and ‘Performing Practices in Mendelssohn's Leipzig’, also by Brown. The front matter of the 1845 version (BA 9099-99) now also includes Brown's ‘Performing Practices’ and Sutcliffe's brief essay on Hubert Léonard. Most importantly, this new piano reduction now offers a second violin solo performance part prepared by Clive Brown. The 1844 piano reduction and solo part (BA 9099-92) are virtually unchanged from the 2005 edition. Completely new, however, is Clive Brown's volume (BA 9060) consisting of his introductory essay ‘Performance Practices in Mendelssohn's Leipzig’ (also included in the full score) followed by the main body of the publication, ‘Performing Practice Commentary’. All essays appear in both English and German. The reason for these updates and new publications is the recent discovery of a proof copy of a solo part with violinist Hubert Léonard's performance markings, presumably prepared for, and during his visits and rehearsals with, Mendelssohn. Since the 2005 edition has already been reviewed, this article will focus on the 2018 additions.Footnote ¹

In the third part of the preface to the 1845 piano reduction and the full score, Richard Sutcliffe, research facilitator at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, introduces Hubert Léonard (1819–1890) as a highly regarded violin virtuoso, championing eighteenth-century violin music as well as contemporary Germany music – all from the perspective of the French violin school. Sutcliffe also explains how the library of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in 2015 came into possession of the Rouma family library, which includes Léonard's proof copy of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. This prefatory note highlights the importance and relevance of the new source and provides sound reasoning for the new set of editions of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto.

Clive Brown's essay for BA 9099 and 9099-90, ‘The Solo Part and Its Earliest Performers’, discusses performance ideals of three early champions of the Violin Concerto within the composer's orbit: Ferdinand David (1810–1873), Hubert Léonard (1819–1890) and Joseph Joachim (1831–1907). The longest section traces Ferdinand David's prompting of the concerto, the evolution of the work, its revision process, and the first performances. The extensive correspondence (of which only Mendelssohn's portion has been published) offers a rich introduction to compositional and performance-practical issues directly related to the Concerto. The second person Brown discusses is Hubert Léonard, whose initial interest in the work precipitated a friendship based on the admiration the two men had for each other's craft. Their first meeting, in February 1845, predates the Concerto's premiere the following month. Mendelssohn was impressed enough with Léonard's playing that he gave him a proof copy of the solo part, which is now at the heart of the new publications. Léonard's own approach and subsequent resounding success as an early champion of the work offers a complimentary viewpoint to David's. While Mendelssohn and Léonard never performed the work together, their correspondence reveals similar, agreeing approaches. Joseph Joachim found his artistic voice under Mendelssohn's tutelage, so Joachim's understanding of the Concerto – in particular his 1878 and 1905 editions of it – is essential to Brown's performance-practical contextualization. Brown's contextualization of the differing violin schools represented by these three violinists offers a fascinating introduction into the challenges of stylistic approximation of nineteenth-century performance aesthetics.

Having spent his career in applied musicology, Brown lives at the intersection of performance and scholarship. His numerous publications include Classical and Romantic Performance Practice and A Portrait of Mendelssohn, both of which showcase his unequalled expertise for this particular task.Footnote ² His experience as researcher and performer of nineteenth-century repertoire is on full display in these essays. The second of them, ‘Performance Practices in Mendelssohn's Leipzig’, takes a broader approach by providing a more general introduction to nineteenth-century performance practice. Focusing on the limitations and changes in notational practices, Brown explores the nineteenth-century idea of what was considered a beautiful performance as opposed to a correct one, citing treatises by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837), Ferdinand David (1810–1873) and Louis Spohr (1784–1859). While his introduction is thoroughly convincing, Brown weakens his own case for performance practice by essentially assuming nineteenth-century aesthetics, stating that ‘though taste may change or differ, beauty itself, as perceived by cultivated artists, is surely immutable’ (XVI). Brown is nevertheless the perfect choice for this publication. His discussion of tempo rubato, bow strokes, articulations, intonation and vibrato, with examples from the Violin Concerto and other repertoire by Mendelssohn, offers fascinating insights, as his suggestions are rooted in Mendelssohn's correspondence and contemporaneous string treatises. Finding the perfect balance of specificity and general application, Brown is able to speak to the seasoned string player as well as the general musician.

From a performer's perspective, the most exciting addition is a second violin solo part, prepared by Brown. Based on 17 principal sources that represent traditions directly connected with the composer, this performance part supplies fingerings and bowings: above the stave are Brown's preferred markings and below are alternatives that are nevertheless in line with mainstream nineteenth-century practice. This solo part is in addition to the Urtext solo part, offering the performer a welcome choice. Brown's scholarly explanations of the various performance issues are kept out of sight in this clean copy, which is simply intended for performance. In doing so, Brown adapts David's suggestion: ‘I know from my own experience and with Beethoven and Bach, that it is not good to send forth a violin piece into the uncultivated world of violinists without all the bowings and fingerings’ (v). Yet Brown is careful to edit sparingly, focusing strictly on performance-practical issues and leaving all other details to the performer. If the proof is in the pudding, a recent recording by Isabelle Faust and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Pablo Heras-Casado will do the trick; the liner notes include a brief essay by Brown.Footnote ³

For the performer wishing to dig much deeper, Clive Brown's volume Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Performance Practice in the Violin Concerto op. 64 and Chamber Music for Strings offers detailed insights in a simple but effective format. The 23-page ‘Performance Practice Commentary’ takes the reader through the Concerto bar by bar. Brown not only identifies and discusses the various options presented in the performance part, he also offers further insights with quotations from letters or treatises. Beyond the discussion of specific markings, Brown discusses each section and phrase, presenting viewpoints of performers connected to Mendelssohn's performance tradition. For each movement, Brown also discusses various tempo marking suggestions and general stylistic features. Between the English and German sections are six facsimile pages of Hubert Léonard's marked proof copy from the library of the Royal Conservatory. My cursory comparison of those pages with Brown's prepared part shows that the majority of his suggestions come from other sources.

The revised Bärenreiter edition sets a new standard for scholarly performance editions. The collaborative effort of two leading scholars in their respective fields offers an authoritative score based on the most rigorous methods of current editorial practice. Furthermore, the full score, solo parts, piano reductions and the ‘Performance Practice Commentary’ present the performer with all the material needed to study the Violin Concerto's stylistic context and make informed choices. My only criticism concerns the differing selections that make up the preface for each volume. While each of the three scores includes a preface specific to each score, only the full score contains the three introductory essays dealing with performance practice. The 1845 piano reduction and Brown's performance commentary seem to be viewed as a set aimed at the solo performer, and together they contain all three essays. The 1844 piano reduction only includes its specific preface. Scholars and performers should nevertheless welcome this new authoritative edition for its clarity and scholarly rigor.