Composed: c. 1830
Premiered: Unknown
Duration: 10 minutes

Many who knew Felix Mendelssohn’s older sister believed her to be as musically gifted as he. However the social values of the day – women were not encouraged to follow professional careers – meant that her talent rarely received opportunities to present itself. She selflessly served her famous brother as mentor and inspiration throughout his career.

Only a few of her 400 compositions were published during her lifetime. This gracious orchestral overture sat gathering dust in the Mendelssohn Archive in Berlin, apparently since the composer’s death. A board member with the Women’s Philharmonic of San Francisco negotiated its release, and it was recorded for the first time in 1992. 

Program note by Don Anderson © 2022