In this lecture-recital, Angela Zanders will explore the life of this remarkable composer and the background to her ‘Easter Sonata’ before giving a complete performance of the work.

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel’s ‘Easter Sonata’ for piano lay forgotten for 150 years after her death in 1847, and when the manuscript was found it was thought to be a work by Fanny’s brother, the renowned composer, Felix Mendelssohn. The first performance of this remarkable work under Fanny’s name took place in 2012 and is a fine example of her imaginative and harmonically daring musical language.

Due to her gender and upper-class status, Fanny was unable to pursue a career as a composer or virtuoso pianist, yet this did not discourage her from producing over 400 works during her lifetime.