After Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy left his parents' house in Berlin in 1829, his sister Fanny, who was married to the court painter Wilhelm Hensel, took over the management of the salon with the famous Sunday music. This was the only place where music lovers could experience her compositions, as her ambitions were not approved by her family for a long time. It was not until 1846 that Felix gave his blessing for the publication of his sister's compositions. Her last major work was the Piano Trio in D minor from 1847. Fanny's talent as a composer remained unnoticed for a long time - it was not until the turn of the 21st century that her work was systematically examined for musical practice.

6th Chamber Evening

Semperoper Dresden

For a long time, the composer Fanny Hensel was overshadowed by the work of her famous brother Felix Mendelssohn - her work received the recognition it deserved far too late. Schumann's violin concerto suffered a similar fate: the virtuosos filed it away as an allegedly unsuccessful contribution to the concerto genre by a composer in the last phase of his life. The heirs even banned its publication for 100 years. Today it has finally found its place in the repertoire. Brahms's pathetic, monumental first symphony concludes the evening.

Guest performance in Bielefeld

Rudolf Oetker Hall

Emden

Festspielhaus am Wall

High Five

Die Glocke

Guest performance in Munich

Prinzregententheater

Guest performance in Friedrichshafen

Graf-Zeppelin-Haus

EPSG:4326

Intimacy - Măcelaru & Brahms' First

Cologne Philharmonie

Since the ensemble was founded in 2009, the Aris Quartet has long since played its way into the top league of chamber music, is a regular guest on the most renowned stages in the world - and has developed a preference for programs rich in relationships. In the 3rd chamber concert, the four musicians focus on two of the most important romantic composers who have a few things in common: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Johannes Brahms. Both come from Hamburg and both share a passion for Switzerland: Brahms traveled 14 times to the beloved Alpine country, about which Mendelssohn Bartholdy raved euphorically: "Of all the countries I know, this is the most beautiful." But both also share a respect for the "giant Beethoven", as Brahms once called his larger-than-life role model. The string quartets of the two romantics are therefore also a musical confrontation with the shadow of their idol. Fanny Hensel, however, had to contend with a completely different shadow: while her younger brother Felix was celebrated as a musical prodigy, her conservative father pushed her sister into the role of "housewife and mother who also composed music on the side". However, her more than 460 works tell a completely different story. So it's time we heard them!

Aris Quartet

Philharmonie Mercatorhalle

Guest performance in Kempten

Theater in Kempten

concert

Gewandhaus

The Fauré Quartet

Barocksaal Rostock

What would the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival be without "its" castles and manor houses, which the team explores and performs in throughout the country? For its 20th anniversary, the festival launched the "Sleeping Beauties" series to highlight historical monuments that were in decline and urgently needed to be saved. The series was held for a second time in 2020, and now, for its 35th anniversary, we're picking up the thread again.

YOUNG ELITE Vocal Circle

Udars Manor

Fanny Hensel

Events

Upcoming events

8 - 16 Jun, 2025

concert · Gewandhausorchester

Jul 27, 2025

The Fauré Quartet · Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Aug 17, 2025

YOUNG ELITE Vocal Circle · Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Past events

Apr 30, 2025

6th Chamber Evening · Semperoper Dresden

Apr 6, 2025

Guest performance in Bielefeld · WDR Sinfonieorchester

About

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