The father of Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn eagerly facilitated their artistic upbringing.Felix’s musical career took off from a youngage and he was dubbed by Robert Schumannas ‘the Mozart of the 19th century’, while his similarly talented older sister was expected to keep music only as a hobby. This did not stop her from composing many pieces for playing in the home, some of which were later published under Felix’s name. She is considered the most important female composer of the era.This collection brings together the PianoTrios of the siblings. Felix’s unusually scored Trio for piano, violin and viola in C minor was written when he was just ten years old beginning with a Baroque?style theme, itselfin motif, as featured later, is a clear precursor to the music of A Midsummer Night’sDream Op.49, which prefigures this work onthe recording, dates from Felix’s mature period and boasts a spectacular piano part,which the composer himself played at the premiere (the first movement has been referred to as a ‘perfect synthesis of the mastery of Classical form with Romanticdiction’); Op.66, meanwhile, is a passionate and exciting work – his penultimate chamber piece and one that revisits elfin themes in the Scherzo, ending in are splendent Bach?style chorale. The last work featured on the set, Fanny’s Piano Trio contains a virtuosic piano part that begins with dramatic tremolos but later evolves into a calm, harp?like accompaniment, with a dance?like finale revisiting the second theme to provide a jubilant end to the collection.At the keyboard is Hrvoje Jugovic, who plays four different historical pianos through out the recording. His fellow musicians are violinist Maria Bader?Kubizek, cellist Dorothea Schönwiese?Guschlbauer and violist Silvia Schweinberger.

Hrvoje Jugovic piano

Maria Bader?Kubizek violin

Dorothea Schönwiese?Guschlbauer cello

Silvia Schweinberger viola