Fanny Mendelssohn: Lieder; Lieder ohne Worte (excerpts)

Fanny Mendelssohn may have been essentially a salon composer, but her works deserve better treatment than they receive here. Though she enjoyed success as a pianist, and occasionally conductor, she suffered shaky self-confidence when it came to her own music. Her younger, more famous brother’s views may not have helped, for although they were close and advised each other on compositional matters, he discouraged her when it came to the publication.

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Published: January 20, 2012 at 1:21 pm

COMPOSERS: Fanny Mendelssohn
LABELS: Newport
WORKS: Lieder; Lieder ohne Worte (excerpts)
PERFORMER: Julianne Baird (soprano), Keith Weber (fortepiano)
CATALOGUE NO: NPD 85652

Fanny Mendelssohn may have been essentially a salon composer, but her works deserve better treatment than they receive here. Though she enjoyed success as a pianist, and occasionally conductor, she suffered shaky self-confidence when it came to her own music. Her younger, more famous brother’s views may not have helped, for although they were close and advised each other on compositional matters, he discouraged her when it came to the publication. Whether this was sibling rivalry or old-fashioned male chauvinism, Felix cannot have thought badly of her music: as the rather generalised programme notes fail to point out, several of the songs in this recital were first published under Felix’s name.

Fanny’s first piece, written in 1819 at the age of 14, was a song, as was her last, composed the day before she died in 1847; she also wrote numerous piano pieces, of which four Lieder ohne Worte are included here. In some Byron settings, the English words ironically emphasise the Victorian-ballad atmosphere, but there is a depth of feeling in her response to Goethe and Heine that Julianne Baird misses; her attractive soprano is bright and open, but her intonation and lack of tonal variety are drawbacks. The fortepiano is no help, and sounds tinny in the resonant acoustic. John Allison

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