She/Her: Music for Clarinet and Piano by 12 Female Composers

On “She / Her,” South African clarinetist Maria du Toit and Dutch pianist Vera Kooper explore music from around the world written exclusively by women. The pieces featured here are rarely performed, and around half of the works are available only as first recordings. Although some of these composers enjoyed great popularity during their lifetimes, such as Ivy Priaulx Rainier, their music has almost fallen into oblivion over time. Rainier’s lively and at times meditative suite is the centerpiece of this album. With compositions ranging from nineteenth-century France to contemporary Nigeria, exploring this virtually unknown repertoire became a veritable mission to honor the music of talented and overlooked female composers and bring these wonderful pieces back to life.