This Friday, February 21, Clark University Visual and Performing Arts faculty will present “Wanderungen (Migrations),” a recital exploring the life and songs of composer Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel. Anastasia Black, soprano and vocal instructor, will be accompanied by Yelena Beriyeva, distinguished artist in piano and director of chamber ensembles. The performance will be in Razzo Hall, Traina Center for the Arts, at 7 p.m.; it will also be available to watch via livestream.
“Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, when her name is recognized at all, is often known for her relationship to her more famous brother, Felix — yet she left behind a wealth of beautiful songs, composed with creativity and deep understanding of the texts of the great German poets,” Black says. “We also have the immense privilege of access to her inner thoughts, as she journaled and wrote letters extensively throughout her life. Through her words and her exquisite Lieder, this program aims to delve into these themes and allow Fanny’s voice to be heard in its own deserving light.”In a Q&A with ClarkNow, Black shares more about the recital.
What pieces will the program include?
We will be performing songs that she wrote throughout her entire life, from age 16 until the day before her unexpected death at age 41. The pieces on the program explore the themes of restlessness, longing, fulfillment, and the role of song in our lives. I will also be speaking about how these themes show up in her life, sometimes quoting her own words from her diary and letters, and will discuss her journey from child prodigy to wife, mother, concert organizer, and finally to published composer.
Do you think Fanny Mendelssohn Hansel is finally getting the appreciation she deserves as a composer — instead of being known simply as Felix’ sister? Where does she fit in the rank of Romantic composers?
I am happy to see that she is beginning to get the attention that she deserves, but there is still a long way to go. Currently, I think she is getting her due in the ranks of women composers, but I would like to see her studied and performed as a great German composer rather than a great female composer.
What do you want people to know about her?
I would like people to know about her personality as well as her musical talent. She was witty and creative; both self-deprecating and opinionated. She did not suffer fools in music making. Fanny’s genre was song, both by choice and society’s mandate, and she deeply understood and creatively illustrated the words of the great German Romantic poets. She was also passionate — and married for love in a time when that was not so common!
I like that the pianist and the singer are equal partners. In her childhood teacher’s songs and many of her brother’s, the piano supports the voice, but in Fanny’s songs, it has its own voice and is essential to making the meaning of the texts clear. Her settings also feel very honest to me. Due to her role as an upper-class woman, she composed for herself rather than for the public. Though her pieces were sometimes performed publicly, and she did eventually publish some of her works, her music was not nearly as much in the public eye as her brother’s, and she didn’t answer to any patrons. She had no one she had to impress — except Felix, whose opinion mattered greatly to her — so she wrote what she felt. Even her simplest pieces offer insight into her thoughts and emotions.
