This CD approaches the Mendelssohn siblings’ Lieder in a fashion more consistent with the viewpoint of the early nineteenth century. This rethinking of the art of Mendelssohnian song is reflected on three levels. First, our program complements the rich interpretive nuances of Francine van der Heijden’s voice with the expressive colors of the fortepiano.

Second, it combines in the same program songs that are already familiar with several important and unpublished vocal works by both Felix and Fanny (world premiere recordings). And finally (and perhaps most importantly), it traces the close, almost symbiotic relationships between the biographies and musical endeavors of the two siblings Soprano Francine van der Heijden is accompanied by Ursula Dütschler on a fortepiano built by Henri Pape in 1821 in Paris.