Mozart’s Sister
A movie review by Shirley Politzer
Why would child prodigy siblings, who were performers and composers, spend years of their childhood studying music and touring through Europe together, but only one be remembered or recognised for their accomplishments in years to come?
Here is the foundation of the Documentary Australia movie “Mozart’s Sister”: The story of another Mozart.
This doco is a “musical mystery” story you will enjoy as the interviewees unpack their evidence.
I was invested in this film from the opening scene. The setting was an 18th-century luscious garden where we saw the cute young Wolfgang and his older sister Maria-Anna (better known as Nannerl) having fun performing a duet on the piano. As the movie progressed, we saw snippets of these two musical partners and best friends growing up and collaborating. Throughout the movie, the music of Wolfgang (performed by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra conducted by Paul Dyer) provided a beautiful soundtrack while the voice- over made us curious to find out about Wolfgang’s talented sister, whose story has never been fully told.
Was some of Wolfgang’s music really written by his sister? Why did she stop performing? Did she compose any music of her own? Why is there no music with her name on it? Most of all, how could such a talent be forgotten?
This documentary, from director/producer Madeleine Hetherton Miau and producer Rebecca Barry, takes us around the world to meet various people, such as musicologists, historians, a female conductor and critics who weigh in on this question and try to give concrete evidence.
One expert presenter is a forensic document analyst who spent much time looking through original manuscripts to establish authorship of the handwriting and the compositions. Can they find Nannerl’s writing on any original manuscripts?
They do, though, have first-hand accounts and letters by Nannerl herself of the exciting life that she and her brother shared and how she missed her family when on tour.
Wolfgang grew up watching his father, Leopold, teach his older sister the skills needed as a keyboard player and composer, with Wolfgang joining in from the age of four.
Leopold was very pleased to show off the exceptional talents of his son and daughter (the only living siblings of seven children) until Maria Anna turned 16 and was considered an adult.
In the 18th century, and until only recently, many women were not allowed to take credit for or pursue their talents in public, merely because they were women. It was considered that women would marry and have children. It was deemed socially unacceptable for them to perform in public, putting them on the same footing as a prostitute. Eventually, Maria Anna did marry and became a mother, with no more public performances. There is evidence that she continued to play and compose in private, so when her husband died, she changed the trajectory of her life.
Women have been fighting to be seen and heard in many walks of life, especially in the arts.
Where would today’s musical talents such as Simone Young, Debbie Cheetham and Elena Katz-Chernin be in that world?
Runtime: 98 mins.
Screening at various theatres from Thurs 31 0ct to Sun 3 Nov
