Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Works

Album review

It's becoming increasingly common to pair the works of Felix Mendelsohn and those of his sister Fanny on a single album. Both composers wrote substantial numbers of songs and of piano pieces called Lieder ohne Worte, or Songs Without Words, and those are often brought together as a point of comparison. New York-based pianist Joanne Polk here attempts something rarer: a comparison of the piano music by the two composers. There isn't quite enough to make the plan come off perfectly: the only real apples-to-apples comparison here comes in the two prelude-and-fugue pairs (tracks 8-11). The two piano sonatas in G minor are not temporally close and share little except their common key; the sonata by Felix, despite its high Op. 105 listing, is an early work, dating from 1821, while Fanny's piece is the last of her three piano sonatas, written in 1843. It's not a common work, and the strongest point in this recording's favor is that it's great to have Polk's competent reading, whether it makes sense to compare it to Felix's sonata or not. The Fanny Mendelssohn Piano Sonata in G minor is a fresh work indeed, not settling into its titular key until the last of its three movements. It is more like Schumann than Felix Mendelssohn, with each movement taking the shape of a character piece and then pushing against that small scale. The highly accomplished fugue by Fanny (track 11) is also noteworthy, as are the four short pieces by her that round out the album; they are Bachian studies that retain her distinctive personality. Polk's performances are quiet and precise, working quite well for this music. Recommended for Mendelssohn family enthusiasts and collections of music by women.
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