Secret loves

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 15 October 2009 00:00

“To live without loving is to not really live,” said the French dramatist Molière. The great composers of classical music also seem to have been well aware of fact and did not hesitate to live life to the fullest. But sometimes historians misjudge a composer, attributing to him a certain character. Take, for example, Felix Mendelssohn, who has always been considered a bit of a boring genius without much to report in the romantic department. Well, the latest discoveries seem to reveal that we should never judge a book by its cover.

If you are a fan of Mr. Mendelssohn’s music, then October may be the time to indulge yourself. On Oct. 18 and 19 the Chamber Players of the Greenwich Symphony will present a program of Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Jongen and, yes, Mr. Mendelssohn. These players are a highly acclaimed group of musicians selected from among the principals of the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra. The Sunday, Oct. 18, concert will be at 4 at the Round Hill Community Church and the following day at the Bruce Museum at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. For information, visit Greenwichsym.org.

Secret documents revealing a dark tale of adultery and suicide threaten to shatter Mr. Mendelssohn’s reputation as the quintessential family man. If reports of a document buried in the bowels of the Royal Academy of Music are to be believed, then the composer’s grand passion for the Swedish soprano Jenny Lind led to his premature death.

In 1896, Ms. Lind’s husband allegedly placed an affidavit in the archive of the Mendelssohn Foundation housed at the Royal Academy of Music in London, which declares that he had destroyed a letter that would have been deeply injurious to the reputations of his wife and Mendelssohn. The letter contained a passionate declaration of love. Mr. Mendelssohn begged Ms. Lind to elope with him to America, and threatened suicide if she refused. Months later, Mr. Mendelssohn was dead. The papers in the archive were ordered to remain sealed for 100 years.

Mr. Mendelssohn was not the first to fall in love with Ms. Lind. In 1843 she met Hans Christian Andersen and became the unrequited love of his life, inspiring his tale The Nightingale.

How much more interesting Mr. Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio will seem now, not only to the Chamber Players charged with interpreting it this month, but also to those of you who may choose to be in the audience. How beautiful to think that a secret love that blossomed well over 100 years ago still lives today in the immortal sounds of something as fleeting as a piece of music.

Victoria Baker of Greenwich is an opera singer. She teaches piano and voice privately in Greenwich. Questions, call 531-7499 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .