Soprano Chen Reiss writes: ‘Discovering the dramatic scene “Hero & Leander” by Fanny Hensel left me amazed by the richness of colours and invention, as well as her skilful orchestration and dramatic expression’.

Felix Mendelssohn’s sister Fanny is only now emerging as a significant composer in her own right. Many of her compositions were published under her brother’s name, such was the difficulty faced by female composers in the 19th century to get published and gain recognition. This album contains a selection of her Lieder in new arrangements for orchestra, her dramatic scene for soprano & orchestra ‘Hero und Leander’ set to a text by her father, and the Introduction and an aria from her cantata ‘Lobgesang’. Felix’s concert aria Infelice and the 1st Rome version of ‘Fingals Cave'.