Mendelssohn was one of the most gifted and versatile prodigies. Fully developed before he was 20, his musical style drew on a variety of influences. His fascination with Bach’s counterpoint, and the clearly balanced themes with symmetrical phrase structures reminiscent of Mozart are evident in his piano works in the early 1820s. Later, starting around 1823, the influences of Beethoven and Weber began to emerge. The dramatic gestures of them have become noticeable since then.

Rondo capriccioso starts with a lyrical introduction then proceeds to the main section Presto leggiero. Mendelssohn interestingly composed this work in reversed order. The work was originally conceived in 1828 as an étude, comprising only the E-minor presto part in scherzo style. Later in 1830, he reworked it by adding the song-like expressive Andante introduction in major as a present for Delphine von Schauroth… [377 more words]