Mendelssohn-Hensel, F.: Piano Sonatas in C and G minor

Featuring

Heather Schmidt
Fanny Hensel

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Composer Biography

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, a gifted composer, was the descendant of the well-known philosopher Moses Mendelssohn and the older sister of Felix Mendelssohn.

Composition History

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel's career was cut short by her untimely death from a stroke in 1847, just a day after completing her final Lied.

Compositional Technique

Piano pieces and songs comprise the majority of Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel's approximately five hundred compositions, which were considered 'salon' works by her contemporaries.

Composer Biography

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel was a passionate champion of Bach's music and introduced the young French composer Charles Gounod to Bach's keyboard works.

Composer Biography

Despite her musical talent, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel's father instructed her to focus on her 'real calling' as a housewife, and her brother Felix discouraged her from publishing under her own name.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Canada, from November 4th to 6th, 2007, with David Jaeger as producer and editor.

Performer Biography

Heather Schmidt, the pianist on this recording, is a Canadian with dual talents as a pianist and composer, having studied at the Juilliard School and Indiana University.