Mary Ellen Haupert, Nancy Oliveros, Laura Sewell - Farrenc: Piano Trios, Opp. 33 & 34 (2016)

This album presents two piano trios by Louise Dumont Farrenc in wonderful performances, recorded in 2014, by Mary Ellen Haupert (piano), Nancy Oliveros (violin) and Laura Sewell (cello).

Louise Dumont Farrenc (1804-1875) was a French composer, virtuoso pianist and teacher. In 1842 she was appointed to the permanent and highly prestigious position of Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatory, which she held for thirty years. Beside her teaching and performing career, Farrenc also produced and edited an influential book, Le Tresor des Pianistes, about early music performance style and was twice awarded the Prix Chartier of the Academie des Beaux-Arts, in 1861 and 1869.

During the 1820s and 1830s, Farrenc composed exclusively for the piano, her pieces drawing high praise from critics, including Schumann. In the 1830s, she expanded her repertoire to larger compositions for both chamber ensemble and orchestra, but it was during the 1840s that much of her chamber music was written. While the majority of Farrenc's compositions were for the piano alone, her chamber music is generally regarded as her best work.