Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Holly Mathieson
Louise Farrenc Photo: public domain
Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) faced real battles in even getting her music to public performance in the first place because of gender inequalities in musical life in Paris, and the difficulty of getting any orchestras for hire to play works. And whether by choice or by necessity, she was bucking a major cultural trend by focusing, in France, on the instrumental genres that German composers had made their own, instead of writing operas the way most French composers made their name; not to mention the risk of being compared to the ‘greats’ – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Mendelssohn.
Nonetheless, Louise Farrenc was admired in her lifetime by Schumann and Berlioz and was the centre of Parisian musical life as a teacher, composer and scholar.
Her music was relatively unknown after her death and has only recently begun to enjoy the prominence many feel it deserves.
The 3rd Symphony was her last completed orchestral work – finished in 1847 and premiered in 1849. It’s bold and energetic – not so much of the delicate, flowery tunes expected from women composers at the time.
Recorded by RNZ Concert in Auckland Town Hall, 17 June 2021
Engineer: Adrian Hollay; Producer: Tim Dodd
