Over the years, The Mendelssohn Project has envisioned bringing the fascinating stories to life about Felix Mendelssohn’s turbulent journey, and have written numerous treatments for film, television, or the stage.
Four of them are included here, and each can give significant insight on the life of Felix Mendelssohn.
Bartholdy
Envisioned as a full-length feature film, or even as a stage play, Bartholdy is the story of the entire life of Felix Mendelssohn. There are all the elements of a major production, including passion, intrigue, jealousy, bigotry, sex, crime, personal successes and struggles, – not to mention the beauty of recreating Europe in the first half of the 19th Century. Reading it will probably give the best insight into the totality of Mendelssohn’s life than any other part of this website. Great care was taken not to stretch the truths anywhere. And where a few sentences of suggested dialogue are included, at least part of that dialogue is taken directly from an existing letter.
The title Bartholdy was chosen because it was the Christian name which Mendelssohn’s father, Abraham, added to the family when Felix was a child to try to minimize the family’s Jewish heritage. Its use was a source of heated family debate until Abraham’s death in 1835. Felix tended to not want to use it, but his father passionately insisted otherwise.
For The Mendelssohn Project, the name Bartholdy has come to symbolize the religious struggles, both internal and external, which Felix endured his entire life, and the persecution which manifested itself both during his life, as well as long after his death.
Druid
Druid is a narrative recounting and staging of one of Felix Mendelssohn’s great masterpieces: His setting of Die erste Walpurgisnacht, based on a poem by the cultural icon, Goethe. It explores an ancient conflict between Christians and pagans – celebrating the latter. Walpurgisnacht remains one of Mendelssohn’s most famous compositions, and its commentary on bigotry and its satirical approach to institutionalized religion will resonate well with many sectors of latter-day society. Mendelssohn’s music is 35-minutes long; this would lend itself well to use in a television special, although the story could well be expanded to a feature-length presentation – especially if it expands on the issues and cultural intolerance that gave rise to the story’s literal conflict between early Christianity and paganism.It Is Enough
This treatment was written with a 1 – 1 ½ hr television production in mind, and centers on the convergence of elements which contributed to Felix Mendelssohn’s death at the young age of 38.
The title, It Is Enough, is taken from the aria of that name from his great, last, oratorio, Elijah.
My Cécile
My Cécile deals with the courtship of Felix Mendelssohn and Cécile Jeanrenaud, culminating in their marriage. It is a beautiful, and true, love story.
Their early relationship offers outstanding material for a feature film cast as a Victorian romance.
The trials and difficulties of their marriage are not included in this treatment, but could certainly be added as well, if desired.
Important Note:
These treatments were all written before evidence began to surface that there might have been sinister elements which contributed to Mendelssohn’s death. As detailed in this website, the theories are not proven but are very much possible (see XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX). These extra elements could also be included in Bartholdy, and It Is Enough.