Composed: 1834
Premiered: 1835, Paris
Duration: 7 minutes

Despite her obvious talents as pianist, composer, and teacher, the male-dominated society of mid-19th-century Europe held Farrenc back from achieving to the full the lofty reputation that she deserved. In 1842, for example, she was appointed Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatory, but it was only after a decade in the post that she began receiving the same income as her male faculty colleagues. In recent years, the imbalance that once plagued her is being corrected.
Her music has plentiful melodic appeal, poetry, and drama. Her catalogue includes large quantities of piano pieces and chamber works. She composed her two concert overtures for orchestra in 1834. No. 1 opens with a stately introduction in slow tempo, followed by a vigorous, dramatic allegro.

Program note by Don Anderson © 2022.