The Songs of Mathilde de Rothschild

[Wheesht]

Not a new recording, this, but one that has not been mentioned here, nor has the composer, Mathilde de Rothschild (1836 or 1832-1924). She was a pupil of Chopin, and one of her songs was often sung by Adelina Patti as an encore.

An enthusiastic review by Henry Fogel in Fanfare, Jan/Feb 2014, starts as follows:

When this two-disc set arrived, it seemed ready to be disliked. A dilettante composer from the 19th century who was part of the famed Rothschild banking family, a soprano who is also a part of that moneyed clan—it all seemed to define the concept of a vanity project, with little value outside of those directly involved in its production.
Wrong! This turns out to be a delightful, lovely set of songs (with a half dozen solo piano works thrown in for occasional contrast), performed with skill and sensitivity by a gifted lyric soprano and sensitive accompanist. It is always gratifying when a recording shatters expectations.

The two disc Nimbus set is still available, e.g. from Presto. They also have sheet music available. Here is a short clip in which Charlotte de Rothchild talks about her ancestor.