Symphonist Emilie Mayer – Trans-Mission IV

During the 19th century, which might seem hard to imagine today, it was incredibly rare for women to grace the stage, especially with the “grand” symphonic repertoire. Even in the 21st century, the question of whether female composers have truly claimed the recognition they deserve remains uncertain. That’s why concerts like the one presented by the Kammerorchester Basel should be more commonplace: their selection of music not only pays homage to the exceptionally talented older sister of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Fanny, but also sheds light on the still-underappreciated Emilie Mayer! As a student of Carl Loewe in Stettin, this Romantic German composer chose to remain unmarried throughout her life ... perhaps to wholly devote herself to her art? Besides an enchanting repertoire of chamber music, Emilie Mayer left a legacy of eight symphonies, where the influence of Beethoven is subtly present, but never steals the spotlight. Emilie Mayer found her final resting place in Berlin, not far from the graves of Fanny Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy! Hélène Grimaud, with a nod to her 2003 debut at Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy alongside the Radio Symphony Orchestra Frankfurt (now the hf-Sinfonieorchester) conducted by Hugh Wolff, has chosen one of her all-time favourite concertos – Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 – to weave a musical tapestry with the works of Fanny Hensel and Emilie Mayer.