Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel & Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Arias, Lieder, & Overtures

Fanny Hensel steps out from the shadow of her brother Felix Mendelssohn to reveal a wonderfully engaging musical voice. Felix sets the bar high with his dramatic cantata “Infelice, Op. 94,” which operatic soprano Chen Reiss sings with great personality, and his ever-popular “The Hebrides Overture” (“Fingal’s Cave”), elegantly and atmospherically played. But Fanny’s ten songs, sensitively orchestrated by pianist and composer Tal-Haim Samnon, make a huge impact: Her word-setting is skillful and the melodies flow with an ease that was clearly a family trait. “Gondellied” is a charmer, “Italien” waltzes on the lightest of feet, while the poignant “Die frühen Gräber” (“The early graves”) touches the heart. Fanny’s dramatic scene “Hero and Leander” makes an impressive close to a revelatory album.