Frauenstimmen

Frauenstimmen—meaning “women’s voices”—was released to mark 50 years since women were granted the vote in Switzerland (and, rather fittingly, comes from Claves, a Swiss record company founded by a woman). The six women composers given voice here range from mid-19th-century Germany’s Fanny Hensel (née Mendelssohn) to contemporary Switzerland’s Stephanie Haensler (see her jewel-like “Ni dónde, ni comó,” from 2020). Each has a distinctive voice and is wonderfully served by cellist Anna Fortova and her pianist partner, Kathrin Schmidlin. French composer Lili Boulanger and the Czech Republic’s Vítězslava Kaprálová, who died in their mid-twenties, evoke the greatest sense of loss; both women had strong musical personalities and huge potential.