The second edition of the Composer Festival her:voice takes place in Essen, Germany from March 20 onwards. her:voice Once again, orchestral works by completely overlooked female composers are on the program, such as Charlotte Sohy. In a good mix, contemporary works are also presented, this time by Missy Mazzoli and Kaija Saariaho. There is also considerable attention devoted to Alma Mahler-Werfel. The Folkwang Museum is hosting an exhibition featuring works by Oskar Kokoschka from the period when he was utterly captivated by the widow of Gustav Mahler.
Female composers are receiving increasing attention. Their work is being—finally and thankfully—rediscovered and republished or performed for the first time. Often these are songs, works for solo piano, and compositions for small ensembles. Female composers barely appear on orchestral programs, as convincingly demonstrated by research from the English organization Donne.
It is all too easy to assume that women in the past did not compose symphonies, concertos, or operas. This was sometimes attributed to their more limited education and lack of resources and networks to publicly perform compositions for larger ensembles. Yet it increasingly turns out to be a misconception that women did not write major works. If one is open-minded and searches deliberately, there are still many masterpieces to discover.
The festival her:voice at the Aalto-Theater in Essen has therefore set itself the task of bringing four large, previously (almost) unknown orchestral works by female composers to the stage over four years. Last year these included the opera Fausto by the French composer Louise Bertin (1805-1877) and the third symphony by Florandce Price (1887-1953). We got contemporary orchestral work from the New York-based Missy Mazzoli (1980), who drew inspiration from River Rouge Transfiguration the industry in Detroit. It was a brilliant program, as we could determine for ourselves, and it cried out for more.
The Great War
The celebrated Fausto by the previously virtually unknown to everyone Louise Bertin was revived this season and is also the finale of the second edition of the Komponistinnenfestival, from March 20 to 23. The new name on the program of her:voice is this time Charlotte Sohy (1887-1955), a woman with a large family of seven children who, just like Clara Schumann with her eight children, managed to have artistic adventures nonetheless. Despite her extensive training – including with Vincent d'Indy at the Schola Cantorum in Paris – and the support of her husband, she had to publish her works under the male name Charles.
During a 'conversation concert' pianist Juriko Akimoto illustrates the life and work of Charlotte Sohy with chamber music compositions on the grand piano. During another concert at the Philharmoniker we can get acquainted with Sohy's late-romantic symphony The Great War, an orchestral work forgotten until 2014 that was never performed during her lifetime. She began that symphony during World War I and expressed her longing for peace and brotherhood through it. Could it be more timely?
Two contemporary pieces complete the program of that concert: Color Field by the English Anna Clyne (1980), inspired by a painting by Mark Rothko, and Winter Sky by the multi-award-winning Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023).
For another work by Saariaho, the festival moves to Gelsenkirchen, located 30 km further away. At the Musiktheater there, the opera ) by Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) had its premiere earlier this season at the Musiktheater im Revier. As part of the Komponistinnenfestival, the production there (just like is on the program. 'A timely yet timeless subject, gripping and thrilling in a fast-paced mix of contemporary music theater, drama, and classical tragedy,' as it states. This 'celebrated opera-thriller' deals with 'trauma, grief, rage, and human helplessness'.
Maddening Drone
More suspense is promised by the again-invited American Missy Mazzoli at the Aalto-Theater in Essen with The Listeners, an opera in two parts. Claire suffers from sleepless nights caused by a deep, constant drone that's driving her mad. Along with her student Kyle, who also perceives this low-frequency tone, she visits the house of Howard Bard, a charismatic philosopher who has allegedly helped others troubled by it. She is warmly welcomed by Howard and the group of 'Listeners'. And Claire learns to accept the inexplicable hum and its ever-growing powers. But once the listeners' meetings take on a cult status, the situation spirals out of control.
Missy Mazzoli is one of the most renowned and sought-after artists of her generation. The opera caused quite a stir at its premiere in Norway in 2022 and is now having its German premiere. The composer herself, who will be in conversation with the audience during the festival, describes The Listeners as an opera about 'our desperate yearning for connection, our search for community and meaning, and the power of charismatic leaders who exploit that desire'. Other compositions by the American, such as a string quartet and an aria from her first opera Breaking the Waves will also be heard.
Belgian Touch
The German festival also takes on a Belgian flavor with a concert by B'Rock Orchestra and Vocal Consort conducted by Andreas Küppers. Under the title Seraphim they present 'heavenly' music with mezzo-soprano Lucile Richardot from composers including Francesca Caccini, Hildegard von Bingand, Isabella Leonarda and a whole series of lesser-known female composers.
Kokoschka and Alma Mahler
At the nearby Folkwang Museum, an exhibition opens alongside the festival, featuring work by Oskar Kokoschka. The young painter became completely captivated by Alma Mahler-Schindler in the early 20th century. The obsessive love he developed in a short time for the widow of Gustav Mahler is expressed in paintings, drawings, fans, and a mural. He reached the height of this creative obsession when he commissioned puppet maker Hermine Moos to create a life-sized doll modeled after his unrequited love, who had by then married Walter Gropius. Woman in Blue Woman in Blue (1919) was his first painting featuring this doll as its subject. It marked a turning point in his painting style. The exhibition at the otherwise highly worthwhile Folkwang Museum is the first in 30 years to bring together all of Kokoschka's works inspired by Alma Mahler. It runs until June 22. (1919) was his first painting with pop as its theme. It marked a turning point in his painting style. The exhibition at the otherwise also worth-visiting Folkwang museum is the first in 30 years to bring together all of Kokoschka's works inspired by Alma Mahler. It runs until June 22.
The songs of Alma Mahler – other compositions by her have not survived – can be heard in a 'Viennese salon' during the festival, together with songs and chamber music by her contemporaries and acquaintancesBerta ZuckerkandlEvelyn Faltis Kralik von Meyrswalden, (a fellow student of Gustav Mahler). Additionally, in a symphonic concert five songs by Alma Mahler will be heard in an orchestral arrangement by Jorma Panula. and With the interdisciplinary project Doppelbindnisse
, to which, in addition to the Aalto-Musiktheater, the Essen Philharmoniker and Folkwang, the Alte Synagoge also contribute, they aim to shed new light on both Alma Mahler's biography and her work, which remained in the shadow of her famous husbands. The Komponistinnenfestival is therefore once again framed with promising lectures. Last year's lectures have since been compiled inthis publication
This article previously also appeared on the blog notities.vrouwaandepiano.be.
In the German city of Essen, the second edition of the Komponistinnenfestival her:voice takes place from March 20 onwards. Once again, the (orchestral) work of completely forgotten female composers is on the program, such as Charlotte Sohy. In a good mix, contemporary work is also presented, this time by Missy Mazzoli and Kaija Saariaho. Much attention… notities.vrouwaandepiano.be.
