The Hebrides (overture) The Hebrides (overture) Felix Mendelssohn's concert overture The Hebrides (; ) was composed in 1830, revised in 1832, and published the next year as his Op. 26. Some consider it an early tone poem. It was inspired by one of Mendelssohn's trips to the British Isles, specifically an 1829 excursion to the Scottish island of Staffa, with its basalt sea cave known as Fingal's Cave. It is not known whether Mendelssohn set foot on the island, the cave being best visible from the water, but the composer reported that he immediately jotted down the opening theme for his composition. He
Overture in C, "In Memoriam" alone can bring." The overture enjoyed considerable popularity in the composer's own lifetime, but it was rarely heard in the 20th century. Only two recordings were made before 1992. Since that time, however, the piece has been recorded several more times. The composition is structured as a single multi-tempo movement marked "Andante religioso - Allegro molto" and lasts around eleven to twelve minutes in performance. The critic Andrew Lamb writes that, although the composer described the overture as an outpouring of grief, The piece's dark, slow texture has its main theme in the major key, as seen here in its