Fanny

The first album to bring together all of Fanny Mendelssohn’s four piano sonatas, written over the course of almost 20 years, and including the ‘Easter Sonata’ rediscovered in 2010.

German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser and Scottish pianist Alasdair Beatson present a moving portrait of the Mendelssohn family with this recording of pieces by the siblings Felix and Fanny. Once composed for the popular Sunday Sessions at the Berlin Mendelssohn family house, these works fit into the typically nineteenth-century tradition of domestic music-making, albeit at the highest thinkable level. Beatson plays an 1837 Érard fortepiano, identical to the instrument that belonged to the Mendelssohn household when these pieces were composed. Besides Felix Mendelssohn’s two sonatas for cello and piano, his Variations concertantes, op. 17, Lied ohne Worte, op. 109 and Albumblatt in B Minor are featured. Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn’s Fantasia in G Minor and Capriccio in A-flat Major show what could have become of this talented female composer if societal conventions had not restricted her musical activities to the private salon.

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, born four years before her brother, Felix Mendelssohn, was an accomplished pianist and a prolific composer. When she died of a stroke, aged just forty-two, she left around 460 pieces of music, some 250 of which are songs. The difficulties of making a career in her own era (her supportive father would not allow her to publish or work as a ‘professional’ composer) have condemned much of her work to obscurity, a situation that is now rapidly being reversed as the number of concerts and recordings devoted to works by women composers increases.

The months of the year, composed by Fanny Hensel in 1841, unfolds as a colourful cycle of character pieces for the listener. It was at that time a popular genre: the lyrical, enchanting atmosphere of brief moments – written mostly for the piano – can be traced back to the Baroque doctrine of the affections, but reached its pinnacle in the Romantic period. “Waldesrauschen”, for example, a rustling of leaves that Franz Liszt put into music, may be just as representative of this as Robert Schumann‘s “Kinderszenen” or “Lieder ohne Worte” by Felix Mendelssohn. The latter‘s highly talented sister, Fanny, joined precisely this tradition when she wrote “Das Jahr” in 1841 – 13 character pieces musically portraying the months of the year followed by a short epilogue. Her blissful and eventful travels in Italy two years previously, with her husband and their nine-year-old son, Sebastian, had inspired her. It was a year-long “sabbatical”, rich in creative development and filled with colourful impressions. In Rome, she moved in the circles of young musicians and painters at the Villa Medici and was greatly respected by her peers. The exuberant admiration of the composer Charles Gounod was also bestowed upon the youthful musician.

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, born four years before her brother, Felix Mendelssohn, was an accomplished pianist and a prolific composer. When she died of a stroke, aged just forty-two, she left around 460 pieces of music, some 250 of which are songs. The difficulties of making a career in her own era (her supportive father would not allow her to publish or work as a ‘professional’ composer) have condemned much of her work to obscurity, a situation that is now rapidly being reversed as the number of concerts and recordings devoted to works by women composers increases.

From Brahms to Dietrich, violinist Fanny Robilliard and pianist Paloma Kouider conjure up the ghosts of the Schumanns’ destiny. The programme explores the works that left their mark on their existence, from the F-A-E Sonata to Brahms’ second Violin Sonata.

Pianist Sophia Weidemann and actress Tinka Kleffner present a musical-literary encounter with the exceptional composer Fanny Hensel in their new GENUIN album, "Das Jahr" (The Year). The album includes a remarkable piano cycle along with letters and diary entries to and by Hensel. Through their interpretation, these two highly acclaimed artists offer a high-level, intimate glimpse into the life and work of one of the most significant 19th-century female composers and enlightened thinkers, Fanny Hensel. Hensel's piano cycle covers a whole year, and the chosen and thoughtfully read excerpts mirror the emotionally rich and skillfully constructed music in the most delightful way!