Frédéric Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
When Fanny Hensel premiered her Overture in C major in Berlin in 1834, it “struck us like an electric shock to the soul and carried us away,” as her friend, the composer Johanna Kinkel, reported. With this radiant work, Hensel—Felix Mendelssohn’s sister—clearly illuminated the spirits of her contemporaries from the very first moment. Yet posterity treated the composer with the same neglect as her fellow composing compatriot Emilie Mayer. Mayer lived almost twice as long as Hensel, allowing her to create an impressive oeuvre of eight symphonies, 15 concert overtures, as well as a wealth of chamber and piano music. With Mayer’s lyrical Symphony No. 2 in E minor and Hensel’s Overture, CAMERATA, led by its concertmaster Afanasy Chupin, revives music that long remained unheard in the male-dominated world of classical music. This is not the first time CAMERATA has opened ears to masterpieces by women. With their romantic poetry, both works are an ideal match for Chopin’s sensitive Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by Chopin Prize winner Yulianna Avdeeva.
Concert introduction 30 minutes before each performance in the Wiener Saal
