Main content
This programme will be available shortly after broadcast

No Place Like Home

Kate Molleson follows Mendelssohn's homecoming and his search for a lasting musical legacy.

This week, Kate Molleson has followed Felix Mendelssohn's travels across Europe. In the final episode, Mendelssohn returns to Germany after years on the road, determined to build a life as a composer. Personal loss, professional disappointment and battles with musical conservatism all lie ahead. Yet from setbacks in Berlin and Düsseldorf emerge some of his greatest achievements, including his transformative work in Leipzig, where he helped shape one of Europe's leading orchestras and founded a conservatory whose influence would be felt for generations.

String Quintet No. 1 in A major, Op. 18: III. Adagio e lento
Robert Mann, viola
Mendelssohn String Quartet

Songs Without Words, Book I, Op. 19b
Jacopo Salvatori, piano

Trumpet Overture, Op. 101
London Symphony Orchestra
Claudio Abbado, conductor

Paulus, Op. 36, Part 1: "Herr! Der du bist der Gott"
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Leipzig Radio Choir
Gewandhaus Kinderchor
Kurt Masur, conductor

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64: I. Allegro molto appassionato
Janine Jansen, violin
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Riccardo Chailly, conductor

Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West.

Release date:

59 minutes

On radio

Fri 21 Aug 202616:00

Broadcast

  • Fri 21 Aug 202616:00

Beethoven Unleashed – the box set

Beethoven Unleashed – the box set

The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems

Composers A to Z

Composers A to Z

Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod’s best stories from the last 20 years

Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem

Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem

What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?

A man out of time – why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...

A man out of time – why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...

The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.

Composer Help Page

Composer Help Page

Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.