NDR Family Concert

The composer Mendelssohn’s favourite dishes were steamed dumplings and apple strudel with cream; he had first eaten these Austrian/Bavarian specialities on a visit to Munich, but they weren’t available in Berlin, where he lived. When two Munich-based clarinettists visited Mendelssohn in Berlin, he entered into an odd deal with them: they promised their composer friend a good portion of the food he loved in return for music that they could play on their concert tours. The clarinettists went into the kitchen, while Mendelssohn sat down at his desk. What turned out better: noodles and strudel, or the duets for clarinets?