Mendelssohn - Isata Kanneh-Mason
487 0256 (Decca Classics, CD)
FIRST RELEASE (9 August 2024)
Playing time: 65'19"
Tracks: 13
Booklet pages: 16
℗ 2024 Universal Music Operations Ltd
© 2024 Universal Music Operations Ltd
Main country of recording: United Kingdom
Reviewer: Gerald Fenech
Review of Mendelssohn - Isata Kanneh-Mason published on 25 July 2024
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
London Mozart Players (tracks 1-3)
Jonathan Bloxham, conductor (tracks 1-3)
Felix Mendelssohn:
Piano Concerto No 1 in G minor, Op 25, MWV 07
Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by Sergei Rachmaninov:
4 Scherzo TN iii/7 from the incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op 61 MWV M13
Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by Moritz Moszkowski
5 Nocturne
Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by Franz Liszt:
6 Auf Flügeln des Gesanges (after Mendelssohn Op 34 No 2, MWV K86)
Felix Mendelssohn:
Lieder ohne Worte Op 67
7 No 2 Allegro leggiero in F sharp minor MWV U145, 'Lost
Illusions'
8 No 6 Allegro non troppo in E, MWV U188, 'Cradle Song'
Fanny Mendelssohn:
9 Notturno in G minor, H 337
Fanny Mendelssohn, edited by Marie Rolf:
Ostersonate, H 235
10 Allegro assai moderato
11 Largo e molto espresso - Poco più mosso
12 Scherzo: Allegretto
13 Allegro con strepito
Music from both Mendelssohn siblings: the glittering Piano Concerto No 1 by Felix and the long-lost Easter Sonata by his exceptionally talented but overlooked elder sister Fanny, as well as transcriptions by other composers of some of Mendelssohn's most famous music. 'I am fascinated by Fanny Mendelssohn', says Kanneh-Mason. 'She lived in such a confined way, yet her music has so much fire and so much passion.' That confinement was part and parcel of life for women in the nineteenth century: Fanny was prevented by her father from pursuing a career as a concert pianist or composer due to her gender. Rather than adhere to his strict instructions that music should be merely an 'ornament' for his daughter, Fanny composed in private, writing nearly five hundred works. Many of these are still being discovered today, with several - such as the 'Easter' Sonata, written when Fanny was only twenty-two - a piece lost for a-hundred-and-fifty years, originally assumed to have been created by Felix and performed under his name for decades. Isata recently featured in the critically acclaimed film The Other Mendelssohn, produced by the composer's great great great granddaughter Sheila Hayman, which explores the life of Fanny Mendelssohn, later Fanny Hensel, and reveals the fascinating story behind the Easter Sonata. This new album features a brand new recording of the new urtext edition of this work. In programming the sonata alongside better-known music by Felix, Isata hopes to bring long-deserved recognition to Fanny's achievements.
Recorded 3 and 6 November 2023 at St John's Smith Square, London, UK (tracks 1-3) and 12 February 2024 (tracks 7 and 10-13) and 9 April 2024 (tracks 4–6, 8 and 9) at The Friary, Liverpool, UK.