Elena Bashkirova & Friends play Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn

At this magnificent 2020 concert given in the Mendelssohn family home in Leipzig, Romantic composers Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (his older sister) are celebrated by preeminent chamber performers! Pianist Ohad Ben Ari, flutist Emmanuel Pahud, and cellist Claudio Bohorquez open the program with the Trio in D Minor, Op. 49, which elevated Felix to the heights of Beethoven and Schubert in the eyes of illustrious contemporaries like Robert Schumann.

Next, soprano Juliane Banse lends her silky voice to the six Lieder of Op. 71 published under Felix Mendelssohn's name—even though they were written, at least in part, by his sister Fanny. The Romances sans paroles, Opp. 62 and 67, then bring together pianists Elena Bashkirova and Ohad Ben-Ari, a beautiful homage to Felix and Fanny, who delighted in playing the piano together.