From Mendelssohn to Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn is undoubtedly one of the most well known and influential figures of Romantic Music. From a wealthy and cultivated family, said to be even more gifted as a child than Mozart, the already prolific young composer has always enjoyed a fine reputation, and through the centuries after his death, constantly secured himself a place within the audiences heart and in concert programs. History seems however to have been unfair to his older sister Fanny Mendelssohn, much less known but said to be equally talented. In a time where women composers were a rarity and undeniably looked over by society as a whole, it is no surprise that despite her skill and craftsmanship, lack of exposure has led to her relative forgetting by the musical scene. Although overshadowed by her younger brother in posterity, it seems that Fanny's influence could have been even greater than what was initally believed: indeed, part of Felix Mendelssohn's iconic string symphonies were composed by Fanny herself. In this program, and in an effort to shed light on unjustly underperformed composers, the Helsinki Chamber Orchestra will be exploring the intricate musical relation between both Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, as well as between two major figures of Czech romantic music, one acclaimed, and one rarely heard of: Antonín Dvořák and Josef Suk.