Louise Farrenc was one of nineteenth-century France's most remarkable musicians: an acclaimed pianist, a pioneering teacher and a composer whose music won the admiration of her contemporaries. Yet today her name remains unfamiliar to many concertgoers. Ahead of Sheffield Chamber Orchestra's performance of her First Symphony, we speak to pianist and researcher Dr Maria Stratigou about the extraordinary woman behind the music.

Dr Maria Stratigou is a Teaching Associate in Performance at the University of Sheffield, making her a particularly welcome local voice in the rediscovery of Louise Farrenc (1804–1875).

Born in Athens, Maria is an internationally active pianist and scholar whose doctoral research at the Royal Northern College of Music, in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University, explored the performance of Farrenc's piano études. Her research involved extensive investigation of original manuscripts, historical editions and nineteenth-century performance practices, culminating in the first professional studio recording of all 87 études. She has since released five volumes of Farrenc's complete piano works on the Grand Piano label, and the sixth volume will be released on Friday 13 November 2026. The first three volumes received the Gina Bachauer–N. Dumba Discography Award in 2024, while volume five was Album of the Week for Essential Classics on BBC Radio 3.

With Sheffield Chamber Orchestra preparing to perform Farrenc's Symphony No. 1 in C minor on 5 December, we invited Maria to share some of the fascinating discoveries from her research and explain why this once-celebrated composer deserves to be heard again.

Maria, for those encountering Louise Farrenc for the first time, who was she, and what makes her story so remarkable?

Maria: "Louise Farrenc was an extraordinary figure because she combined so many different musical roles. She was a composer, pianist, teacher and scholar of early music, and she achieved considerable recognition in each of these areas.

"She was born Jeanne-Louise Dumont in Paris in 1804, into a family that had been involved in the fine arts for five generations. Her father and several of her ancestors were distinguished sculptors, so she grew up surrounded by artistic activity.

"Her musical education was impressive. She studied piano with musicians connected to the traditions of Clementi and Cramer, and later with Ignaz Moscheles and Johann Nepomuk Hummel. She also studied composition privately with Anton Reicha.

"That last point is particularly significant. Women were not permitted to enter the composition classes at the Paris Conservatoire, so although she had the talent and ambition, she had to pursue that part of her education privately.

"Despite these obstacles, Farrenc went on to compose piano music, chamber music, orchestral works and songs. She also won the prestigious Prix Chartier for chamber music twice, in 1861 and 1869. This was an award subsequently given to composers including César Franck and Gabriel Fauré.

"What fascinates me is the breadth of her achievements. She was not simply a talented woman composing against the odds. She was a serious, accomplished musician who made an important contribution to French musical life."

One of Farrenc's greatest achievements was becoming a professor at the Paris Conservatoire. How unusual was that?

Maria: "It was extremely unusual. Farrenc was appointed professor of piano in 1842 and was only the second woman to hold such a position at the Conservatoire.

"My research uncovered some fascinating details about the circumstances surrounding her appointment. In February 1842, she gave a concert at the apartments of the Duchess of Orléans, who was one of her private piano pupils. Among those attending were the composers Fromental Halévy and Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, who had just become director of the Conservatoire.

"Contemporary reports tell us that they praised her performance very highly. It is possible that this concert, together with the success of her orchestral overture, helped secure her appointment later that year.

"She remained at the Conservatoire for almost thirty years, developing an impressive reputation as a teacher. But her position also reveals the inequalities women faced in the musical profession."

You discovered evidence that Farrenc was paid less than her male colleagues. What happened?

Maria: "This was one of the particularly interesting aspects of my archival research.

"Farrenc was appointed at the same time as the celebrated pianist Henri Herz, and they had the same professional title and responsibilities. Yet after three years, Farrenc's annual salary was 1,000 francs, while Herz received 1,200.

"Even when new salary arrangements were introduced in 1848, Farrenc's pay remained unchanged.

"In 1850 she wrote a carefully argued letter to the Conservatoire's director, pointing out that male professors appointed after her had already received salary increases. Her argument was especially revealing: she suggested that withholding the same recognition might imply that she had failed to demonstrate sufficient diligence and commitment to her work.

"She eventually secured an increase of 200 francs, although her salary still remained below that of some male colleagues. It was only later in the decade that her pay reached parity with the highest-paid professors.

"What I find significant is that Farrenc was not simply demanding more money. She was defending her professional reputation and insisting that her contribution should be recognised on equal terms."

Was Farrenc also an innovator in musical education?

Maria: "Very much so. One of the most revealing documents I examined was a letter she wrote in 1848, proposing reforms to the teaching arrangements at the Conservatoire.

"She argued that students should be assessed not merely on technical agility but also on their musical sensitivity. She suggested using sonatas by composers such as Mozart, Haydn, Clementi and Beethoven to evaluate their abilities.

"She also advocated regular chamber music classes. Her reasoning was that pianists, who were accustomed to performing alone, needed to learn the discipline of playing with other musicians, maintaining a steady tempo and developing their understanding of great musical works.

"These ideas reveal a remarkably thoughtful teacher. For Farrenc, musical education was never simply about developing fast fingers. It was about cultivating musical intelligence, expression, taste and the ability to collaborate.

"That philosophy is reflected in her compositions, particularly her piano études."

Most people associate études with technical exercises. What makes Farrenc's examples different?

Maria: "This is really at the heart of my research. Farrenc's études are much more than technical exercises.

"She composed four sets, comprising 87 individual works. They explore a wide range of musical styles and technical challenges, but they also develop the pianist's understanding of musical structure, expression and historical traditions.

"One particularly interesting feature is her inclusion of fugues and canons. These are forms associated with contrapuntal writing, where different musical lines interact according to carefully organised principles. Their inclusion in collections of piano études was relatively unusual at the time.

"In my research I argue that her études are not limited to developing finger agility. They also contribute to the pianist's musical maturity by introducing different styles and historical periods.

"Another fascinating discovery was how her teaching influenced her compositions. Her first set, Op. 26, written before her Conservatoire appointment, is more technically and musically demanding than the later sets which are also generally shorter, suggesting that she adapted her compositions to the needs of her students.

"She was thinking very carefully about how music could develop both the technique and the artistic imagination of the performer."

Your research involved examining Farrenc's original manuscripts. What did you discover about her as a composer?

Maria: "Working with the manuscripts was one of the most rewarding aspects of the project because they reveal the composer's creative process.

"I examined the differences between Farrenc's handwritten scores and their published editions. These differences can significantly affect the way a passage is performed.

"I found examples of revisions, alternative versions and even errors introduced during publication. These discoveries raise fascinating questions about what Farrenc originally intended and how performers today should interpret her music.

"The manuscripts also show her willingness to experiment and refine her ideas. We can see that she did not necessarily settle on the first version of a passage.

"For me, this research was not simply an academic exercise. It directly influenced my performances and recordings. I wanted to understand the musical intentions behind the notation and to explore how nineteenth-century performance practices might help bring the music to life."

Farrenc was clearly admired in her lifetime. Why did her music subsequently disappear from the repertoire?

Maria: "This is one of the most frustrating aspects of her story.

"Farrenc received considerable recognition as a teacher and composer. Her études were highly regarded and used in piano education, and Robert Schumann praised her Op. 17 Variations.

"Yet there were significant limitations on the opportunities available to her. Contemporary concert life was dominated by men, and female composers faced assumptions about the kinds of music they were capable of writing.

"My research also uncovered examples of critics failing to acknowledge Farrenc's contribution to the success of her students. On one occasion she even had to correct a newspaper that had wrongly attributed one of her prize-winning pupils' training to another teacher.

"Her chamber and orchestral compositions were often presented at concerts organised by Farrenc and her husband, Aristide, rather than through the established concert institutions.

"After her death, performances of her compositions became extremely rare. Her reputation as a teacher survived for a time, but much of her music was neglected.

"It is striking that a composer who was so respected by her contemporaries could subsequently disappear so completely from the standard repertoire."

Our audience will be hearing Farrenc's Symphony No. 1. How does her orchestral music fit into the picture?

Maria: "Farrenc's orchestral works demonstrate another dimension of her musical ambition. She was not content to remain within the piano repertoire, even though that was the area in which she had established her professional reputation.

"Her appointment at the Conservatoire seems to have coincided with a change in her compositional activity. She increasingly concentrated on chamber music and orchestral works, while her piano compositions became more closely associated with her teaching.

"Her three symphonies are particularly important because they show her engagement with one of the most demanding musical forms of the nineteenth century.

"Farrenc had a deep knowledge of the Classical tradition, and this is evident in her concern for musical structure and the development of ideas. At the same time, she was writing during the Romantic period, when composers were exploring new possibilities of expression and orchestral colour.

"Her First Symphony is a wonderful opportunity to encounter that combination of intellectual discipline and musical imagination."

What would you encourage listeners to look out for in Farrenc's music?

Maria: "I would encourage audiences to approach her music with curiosity and without preconceptions.

"One of the things that attracted me to Farrenc's piano works was the range of styles she employed and the way she brought together technical sophistication and musical expression.

"Her knowledge of earlier composers was profound. Together with her husband, she worked on Le Trésor des pianistes, an extraordinary anthology of keyboard music spanning several centuries, from Frescobaldi to Chopin.

"This historical awareness is an important part of her musical personality. She understood the traditions she had inherited, but she also developed her own approach to composition.

"Above all, I hope listeners will respond to the music itself, rather than judging it primarily through the circumstances of the composer's life."

Finally, what do you hope your research and recordings will contribute to Farrenc's rediscovery?

Maria: "My aim has been to bring attention to a composer, performer, teacher and scholar whose contribution deserves much wider recognition.

"I wanted to understand Farrenc's music through the surviving sources, and to use that knowledge to inform performances that would communicate with modern audiences.

"Historically informed performance is not about attempting to recreate the past exactly. That would be impossible. It is about understanding the musical practices of an earlier period and considering how that knowledge can enrich our interpretation today.

"Through my research and recordings, I hope to encourage more pianists to explore Farrenc's works, and to demonstrate that her études deserve a place in both teaching and concert repertoire.

"Ultimately, the most important thing is for the music to be heard. Research can help us understand a composer's intentions and historical circumstances, but it is through performance that the music becomes a living experience.

"Farrenc's story reminds us how much remarkable music remains to be rediscovered."

Hear Louise Farrenc's First Symphony in Sheffield

Sheffield Chamber Orchestra will perform Louise Farrenc's Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 32, conducted by Gina Hazell, on Saturday 5 December 2026.

The programme also features Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, Dvořák's Czech Suite and Handel's Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 7.

Join us to discover a composer whose music is finally receiving the attention it deserves.