Film Screening: Women Composers

On the occasion of the »Feminale of Music«, the ZKM is showing the film »Women Composers« in a video stream. The film presents a musical and cinematic journey across Europe and two centuries – four stories about four women composers.

In Germany, men and women have had equal rights – on paper – for about 70 years. But this is not reflected in the concert schedules of so-called »serious music«. Although there have been many great female composers in Europe, even today we still know mostly their male colleagues, as the pianist Kyra Steckeweh suddenly noticed a few years ago. Since then, she has focused on the works of women. Together with the award-winning filmmaker Tim van Beveren, she created the impressive documentary film »Women Composers«.

The film focuses on the works and biographies of the composers Mel Bonis (1858–1937), Lili Boulanger (1893–1918), Fanny Hensel (1805–1847) and Emilie Mayer (1812–1883). Her search for traces leads Kyra Steckeweh to archives, libraries and to the descendants of the composers. In addition, experts who have already studied the subject scientifically will have their say. But it is also about questions concerning the current situation: How is the musical heritage of these women, some of whom were very successful in their time, dealt with today? Why is their music performed so rarely?

Kyra Steckeweh studied piano and instrumental pedagogy in Freiburg and Salzburg, as well as school music and history in Freiburg. As a pianist, she focuses on the works of female composers. For this purpose, she partly works with autographs, since reliable sheet music editions are not always available. Within the framework of a qualification position at the Freiburg University of Music, she has also been working in recent years on historical-critical editions of works by women composers.