31.10.25
V.A. — FEMALE COMPOSERS (2025) 25xCD BOX-SET | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
What composing like a woman does not mean – as the music in this collection makes clear – is a definable set of qualities or characteristics to the music itself which would distinguish the work of female composers from the music composed by men.
This remarkable set gathers many individual recordings of music by women composers, which Brilliant Classics has quietly yet actively championed in their catalogue for decades, uniting it with exciting new outings, so that a comprehensive historical picture of the highly varied struggles and successes of women composers through the ages to our present time are chronicled and celebrated.
Recordings date from 1994–2024.
Booklet in English contains liner notes by Peter Quantrill.
The revival of interest in female classical composers reflects a growing recognition of their overlooked contributions to music history. For centuries, women composers were marginalized, their works overshadowed by their male counterparts. However, recent efforts by musicians, scholars, and institutions have brought these composers into the spotlight, highlighting the richness and diversity of their compositions.
This renewed focus stems from a broader movement toward inclusivity in the arts, challenging traditional narratives that have historically excluded women. The rise of feminist musicology has also played a key role, offering fresh perspectives on these composers' lives and works.
This comprehensive box set offers a wide spectrum of works by female composers, from the Medieval mystic Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) , through the Renaissance Isabella Leonarda (baptized 1620-1704), Francesca Caccini (1587-1640) und Barbara Strozzi (baptized 1619-1677), traversing the Baroque and Classical eras, and arriving in the contemporary field, with composers such as Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006) and Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969).
A long due homage to the art and voice of female composers, spanning nearly a thousand years! brilliant
Tracklist & Credits :
4.3.24
FANNY MENDELSSOHN-HENSEL — Piano Chamber Music (Céline Dutilly · Fanny Mendelssohn Quartet) (2004) FLAC (tracks), lossless
Fanny Cäcilie Mendelssohn, later Fanny Hensel
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel:
Piano Quartet in A flat major
Capriccio in A flat major
Sonata o Fantasia in G minor
Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 11
Renate Eggebrecht (violin)
3.3.24
FELIX & FANNY MENDELSSOHN (Quatuor Ebène) (2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
France's Quatuor Ebène has been known for its classical-pop fusion
experiments (they dislike the term "crossover"). Here they stick with
classical string quartet pieces, but their style and choice of music is
still plenty unusual. The chief repertory attraction here is Fanny
Mendelssohn's String Quartet in E flat major, composed in 1834. This
work, the composer's only string quartet, is not usually included in
comparisons of music by Felix Mendelssohn and his older sister, but it
deserves to be better known. It is clearly something of an exercise in
mastering Beethoven's style -- hear the fugal central section of the
second-movement Allegretto (track 6), for example, whose clear
inspiration is the Scherzo of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op.
67 -- but in spite of this has a strong undercurrent of suppressed
emotion. The work opens in harmonic ambiguity that is reflected in small
moments of tension throughout. The work's appeal resides in that
duality of exercise and strong feeling, and the Quatuor Ebène's
high-intensity performance brings it out effectively. The work is short,
but here it has a rather explosive quality. In the two quartets by
Felix Mendelssohn you may find the quartet either bracingly tough or
rather overbearing, but there are moments where both camps will agree:
hear the live-wire tension in the opening explosion of the finale of the
String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80. This is a must-have for those
interested in Fanny Mendelssohn, and it's well worth sampling and
considering for general string quartet listeners. James Manheim
Tracklist
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
1 1. Adagio - Allegro vivace 7:55
Felix Mendelssohn
2 2. Adagio non lento 7:43
Felix Mendelssohn
3 3. Intermezzo: Allegretto con moto 5:10
Felix Mendelssohn
4 4. Presto 9:21
Felix Mendelssohn
String Quartet in E flat major
5 1. Adagio ma non troppo 4:31
Fanny Mendelssohn
6 2. Allegretto 3:37
Fanny Mendelssohn
7 3. Romanze 6:44
Fanny Mendelssohn
8 4. Allegro molto vivace 5:39
Fanny Mendelssohn
String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80
9 1. Allegro vivace assai 7:36
Felix Mendelssohn
10 2. Allegro assai 4:33
Felix Mendelssohn
11 3. Adagio 8:26
Felix Mendelssohn
12 4. Finale: Allegro molto 5:30
Felix Mendelssohn
FANNY MENDELSSOHN — Piano Music (Martina Frezzotti) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
Das Jahr, H. 385
1 I. January. Ein Traum 2:42
2 II. February. Scherzo 3:00
3 III. March 5:25
4 IV. April. Capriccioso 3:09
5 V. May. Frühlingslied 3:03
6 VI. June. Serenade 3:23
7 VII. July. Serenade 3:26
8 VIII. August 4:45
9 IX. September. Am Flusse 4:00
10 X. October 3:20
11 XI. November 5:01
12 XII. December 5:48
13 XIII. Postlude. Choral 2:04
14 Nocturne In G Minor, H. 337 3:45
15 Nocturne Napolitano In B Minor 3:03
16 I troduction And Capriccio IN B MInor, H. 349 6:52
26.12.20
26.8.18
FANNY MENDELSSOHN-HENSEL - Piano Music (1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
Piano Sonata in G minor (1843)
Prelude in E minor (1827)
18 character pieces (MA Ms. 44):
№ 2. Andante
№ 7. Allegro agitato
№ 8. Allegro moderato
№ 9. Largo con espessione
Allegro molto vivace ma con sentimento
Andante con moto
Six mélodies, Opp. 4 & 5:
I. Allegro assai
II. Allegretto
III. Allegro molto quasi Presto
IV. Lento appassionato
V. Allegro molto vivace
VI. Andante soave
+ last month
SUZANNE VEGA — Lover, Beloved : Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers (2021) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Suzanne Vega has always been a songwriter with a literary sensibility, displaying a feel for character and wordplay that was noticeably more...













