SKU: BR.CHB-5234-02

ISBN 9790004411537. 7.5 x 10.5 inches. German.

Madame Hensel, Mendelssohn's sister, whose eyes speak intelligence and profundity''. This diary entry made by Robert Schumann in June 1843 succinctly but fittingly characterizes Fanny Hensel, without a doubt the most significant woman composer of the 19th century. Born in Hamburg on 14 November 1805, she was the eldest sister of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and the granddaughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. In 1829 she married the Prussian court painter and occasional poet Wilhelm Hensel (1794-1861). After her sudden death in Berlin on 14 May 1847 as a result of a stroke, the music journalist Ludwig Rellstab poignantly wrote that she shared the brotherhood ef talent with her famous sibling.Fanny Hensel was given the same excellent and comprehensive musical training as her precocious brother, including composition lessons with Goethe's friend Carl Friedrich Zelter. Felix and Fanny not only loved each other tenderly, but they also maintained an intensive, life-long exchange of ideas which proved musically profitable to both of them. However, it was only in 1846 that Mendelssohn gave up his resistance to Fanny's publication plans. And so, just shortly before her death, she was able to publish a carefully selected sample of her songs and piano pieces.Not only these pieces, but also a few orchestral and chamber-music works (e.g. the String Quartet in E flat major, KM 2255) and, in particular, choral music occupy an important position in her oeuvre. Most of her choral works were written in 1846, and she was able to rehearse them with the chorus she conducted at the famous Sunday Concerts in the Mendelssohn home. She had six of these choral songs published in a revised version under the title Gartenlieder Op. 3 by the Berlin music publisher Bote & Bock. The title of the Gartenlieder brings to mind Mendelssohn's well-known Lieder im Freien zu singen (Opera 41, 48, 59; ChB 4763-4780), published before 1846. But, as far as the quality of their melodic writing, the compositional technique, and the choice of texts are concerned, as well as the perfect balance between folk-like simplicity and polished design, they are as outstanding as the works of her brother.

Fanny Hensel's choral works not only stand up to comparison with any of the rich and varied choral works of the Romantic era - they also rank among the best. Very likely to become hits! (Musica).

SKU: PR.114419990

ISBN 9781491134825. UPC: 680160685516.

An extraordinary addition to the saxophone repertoire, Pann’s concerto is alternately tender and wild, yet idiomatic even in the most challenging pyrotechnics and altissimo. The four movements show off and romance the soprano saxophone from a remarkable range of angles, while always maintaining beauty. The published piano reduction is fully suitable for public performances.
My Soprano Saxophone Concerto (2019) was written for Christopher Creviston and commissioned by Chris, the ASU Symphony Orchestra, and the SUNY Potsdam Symphony Orchestra. The work lasts about 15 minutes and does what it can to show the many sides of one of my favorite musicians on the planet. The work is cast in four movements and makes use of a varied orchestral palette.I. The Old Line (orchestra without brass) presents the soloist almost immediately, akin to the technique in Mendelssohn’s beloved Violin Concerto. The saxophone weaves a song-like melody throughout, often reaching for the highest register of the instrument.II. Aria: Injurious Graffito (full orchestra) was the first movement to be written, inspired by a line in the old television series Frasier. I fell in love with the two words “Injurious Graffito” the way they are delivered on the show. The music, like the TV show, is lofty and somewhat arrogant.III. Jump (full orchestra) is a written-out improvisation on the saxophone. Chris is particularly adept at the leaps and quick changes found throughout the movement, which culminates in a straight-ahead tune incorporating shapes that foreshadow the tune in the last movement.IV. Hymn: A Love Supreme (string orchestra and harp) is a torch song of unabashed sentimentality. A surprising admission: I was not thinking of John Coltrane’s famed album of the same name when naming this last movement. Perhaps it was a subconscious decision, but I was startled to put two and two together upon reacquainting myself with the Coltrane once the concerto was completed.