It’s a happy sign of the times that female composers are now being rediscovered and celebrated, no longer lost to time and trapped in an era of sexism and inequality. Felix Mendelssohn's love for his sister Fanny, his 'alter ego' both in terms of precociousness and musical talent, is no secret. However, this genuine brotherly love wasn’t enough to encourage Fanny to pursue a career as a composer. Her fulfilment came only from her marriage and a life devoted to her family and domestic tasks.
Israeli soprano Chen Reiss makes up for this injustice with this exquisite recording. It’s mainly devoted to vocal pieces by Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn, whose compositional quality is, at the very least, equal to that of her brother. A few Lieder, a cantata and a dramatic scene offer a small glimpse of her incredible talent, just enough to make the world mournfully aware of how few works were left behind by this composer who had so much to say. The album begins with bitter-sweet humour, a concert aria by Felix entitled Infelice!, Op. 94 (“unhappy!”), which seems an apt way to describe his sister’s misfortune of being a gifted musician dreaming of a golden age.
As a complement to this vocal album, the original 1830 version of one of Felix’s masterpieces, the overture of Hebrides has also been included (and sees Daniel Grossmann conduct the Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich). This famous orchestral composition, which was much admired by Berlioz, Brahms and even Wagner, was one of the most reworked throughout its composition, and this version is a far cry from his masterly final work. Mendelssohn was his own worst critic, finding this first draft to have a “very silly” passage with a “development section that smacks more of counterpoint than fish oil, seagulls and dried salted fish”. He may not be wrong. © François Hudry/Qobuz