There has been an upsurge of interest over recent years in Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel's life and work, prompted both by her bicentenary in 2005 and a more general impulse to re-examine undervalued and neglected female composers.
Fanny was subject, of course, to the familiar prejudices of her age. The title of the CD is a reference to the back-handed compliment of a contemporary critic who opined that her compositions 'did not betray a woman's hand' but displayed, rather, 'a masculine seriousness'. However, her case is not a simple matter of gender prejudice. The limitations placed on Fanny's musical life were as much, if not more, due to her elevated social position. As the daughter of a prominent and wealthy banking family, whose grand Berlin home was a prestigious cultural and intellectual centre, it was considered unthinkable that she should pursue a professional musical life of any kind, either as a pianist or as a composer. At the same time, it was that very background of intellectual vigour and sophisticated cultural influence that shaped an exceptional musical talent. Fanny's closeness to her brother Felix and the demanding academic and musical training that they shared from a young age has been well documented, as has the acknowledgement that Fanny was an exceptionally accomplished pianist, equal or even superior to her brother. Hers is a distinctive voice (inescapably, a singing voice), working in a limited compass, perhaps, but embracing huge variety, from passion and tumult to utter serenity. (Notes courtesy of John France, MusicWebInternational)
"The second volume in this series of selected piano works by the early Romantic composer Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel draws on music from across the whole span of her adult life, from the exquisite Klavierstuck in E minor H-U 29, written when Fanny was just sixteen years old, to the dramatic Lied H-U 456, written just months before her early death in 1847. Eighteen short pieces make up this second volume. Lyricism is very much to the foreground, interspersed with moments of passion and exuberance, in a collection that complements the wide range of character and energy encountered in A Woman's Hand volume 1." Helen Cawthorne
Helen Cawthornestudied with the German pianist Annekate Friedlander before entering the Royal Academy of Music, where she was awarded major prizes as a solo pianist, accompanist and chamber musician. Her subsequent career has reflected this diversity, and a special interest in working with singers and string players in the Romantic repertoire has been complemented by premieres of over thirty newly commissioned works. Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room debuts came early in her career, and she has returned many times to the Southbank Centre, most recently with the eight-hand piano ensemble Piano40, in their tenth appearance at the venue. Helen teaches piano and chamber music at the Junior Academy of the RAM and is a Lecturer in Performance at the University of Southampton.
