There has been an upsurge of interest over recent years in Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel's life and work, prompted both by her bicentenary in 2005 and a more general impulse to re-examine undervalued and neglected female composers. Fanny was subject, of course, to the familiar prejudices of her age. The title of the CD is a reference to the back-handed compliment of a contemporary critic who opined that her compositions 'did not betray a woman's hand' but displayed, rather, 'a masculine seriousness'. However, her case is not a simple matter of gender prejudice. The limitations placed on Fanny's musical life were as much, if not more, due to her elevated social position. As the daughter of a prominent and wealthy banking family, whose grand Berlin home was a prestigious cultural and intellectual centre, it was considered unthinkable that she should pursue a professional musical life of any kind, either as a pianist or as a composer. At the same time, it was that very background of intellectual vigour and sophisticated cultural influence that shaped an exceptional musical talent. Fanny's closeness to her brother Felix and the demanding academic and musical training that they shared from a young age has been well documented, as has the acknowledgement that Fanny was an exceptionally accomplished pianist, equal or even superior to her brother. Hers is a distinctive voice (inescapably, a singing voice), working in a limited compass, perhaps, but embracing huge variety, from passion and tumult to utter serenity.