Most people know of Felix Mendelssohn- one of the most famous composers of the Romantic period, who attained fame, respect and notoriety throughout Europe. What is not so common knowledge, though, is that Felix’s brilliant older sister, Fanny, was also a child prodigy. However, due to societal conventions, Fanny was deprived the chance to share her own virtuosity and compositions with the world during her lifetime.

Felix and Fanny is the story of this most unusual sibling relationship. It is the story of two genius musicians and how Felix toured the world while Fanny stayed home, longing to be in her brother’s shoes. Gender was not the only obstacle Fanny had to fight. In fact, she as well as the entire Mendelssohn clan, dealt with cold stares and discrimination as their family’s Jewish roots became a constant source of gossip despite their conversion to Lutheranism. One-hundred years before the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, this well-respected family dealt with the repercussions of anti-Semitic sentiment that was beginning to take root in Berlin.

While Felix overcomes all the obstacles, Fanny’s quest to publish her music is too often squelched. Earlier in her life her father makes it clear that such an act would be a discredit to the family name. Even after her father’s death, she has to gain Felix’s blessing to publish her work. Yet Felix will not go against his father’s wishes and grant Fanny permission to pursue a career as a composer.

The Story of Felix and Fanny is a compelling one that deals with sibling rivalry, gender inequality, and ethnic discrimination in a rising nationalistic Germany. Above all the story is about one musician’s quest to continue to create because she can’t stop the music.