Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn

Featuring

Matthieu Handtschoewercker
Antoine Landowski
Boris de Larochelambert
Trio Chausson
Fanny Hensel
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn's husband, Wilhelm Hensel, a painter, supported her composing throughout her life, unlike her brother Felix Mendelssohn.

Composition History

Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn's Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 11, was one of her last works, composed in 1847, and premiered a month before her sudden death at age 42.

Composer Biography

Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn, the composer, was four years older than her brother Felix Mendelssohn and served as his mentor, advising and reassuring him.

Composer Biography

Felix Mendelssohn, the composer, died six months after his sister Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn, never recovering from her loss, and was even arranging to publish more of her works.

Album & Artwork

This album aims to honor Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn, the composer, and bring her out of her brother Felix Mendelssohn's shadow by featuring her trio first.

Historical Context

In 1820, Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn's father wrote to her stating that music could only be an 'entertainment' for her, never a profession, reflecting the difficulties for women in the 19th century.

Performer Biography

The Trio Chausson, founded in 2001, won the First Prize at the Weimar International Chamber Music Competition in 2005 and was named a 'Rising Star' in 2007.