Louise Farrenc was a towering figure in the musical landscape of 19th-century France, achieving the distinction of being the first female Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatoire (where she successfully fought for equal pay with her male counterparts). Yet despite being admired by such luminaries as Berlioz and Schumann, Farrenc’s music was relatively unknown after her death, and has only recently begun to enjoy the prominence it deserves. Recorded at Kings Place in December 2019, we present Farrenc’s overlooked Third Symphony – muscular, ambitious and expressive – under the baton of Duncan Ward.
“[Duncan Ward] and Aurora plunged us headlong into the composer’s atmospheric world; you could almost feel you would walk out of the hall into 19th-century Paris.” – ★★★★ the artsdesk
Filmed live at Kings Place on Saturday 14 December 2019.
Free to watch on Aurora’s YouTube channel.
This performance of Louise Farrenc’s Symphony No. 3 was made possible with funding from the ABO Trust’s Sirens programme, a ten-year initiative to support the performance and promotion of music by historical women composers.
Aurora extends grateful thanks to The Ambache Charitable Trust for supporting this online broadcast. The Ambache Charitable Trust is active in raising the profile of women composers.