Fanfares de Femmes

The recording brings together largely forgotten horn works from the early 20th century by four French composers, Elsa Barraine, Yvonne Desportes, Claude Arrieu and Hedwige Chrétien. This album not only brings to light forgotten masterpieces by women composers, but also illuminates the musical opportunities and challenges faced by women of the period.

Tanja Nisonen, known as a versatile horn player and musician, has worked for years to raise the profile of the horn in Finland and internationally. Among other roles, she is a member of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, a teacher at the Turku Arts Academy, the teacher in charge at Vaskiakatemia and a doctoral researcher at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. Nisonen has also been active as chair of the Finnish Horn Club and has undertaken a wide range of roles at international events as a performer, lecturer and jury member at international competitions.

Tanja Nisonen's doctoral research focuses on the music of women who have composed for the horn. "Fanfares de Femmes" is part of her doctoral research, which began with a realisation: she had never played works composed by women. 

The women composers featured on the album, Barraine, Desportes, Arrieu and Chrétien, were active in early 20th-century France, when women's career paths in music were often limited.

Fanfares de Femmes brings their horn works to light while also telling the story of women's position as composers and in the musical world.

With this recording, Tanja Nisonen wishes to shed light on women's opportunities and struggles in an artistic world that was not always open to them.