Private Project

Women Composers

When pianist Kyra Steckeweh realised that her repertoire exclusively consisted of music composed by men, she began searching for pieces written by female composers. Her research quickly disclosed a variety of remarkable works that have been buried and rarely performed. She sees a lot of catching up to do, which is why the focus of her has since shifted to the music of women composers. Her 2 cd albums with works by Mel Bonis, Lili Boulanger, Fanny Hensel and Emilie Mayer were released. Thereby she has brought to our attention 4 very different composers. All left a diverse work. In addition to the in-depth examination of the music, as a pianist and historian, she seeks to look 'behind the notes': How did these women live? What barriers did they have to overcome and how did they manage to cope with the obstacles of their time? The film 'Women Composers' highlights the historical and personal circumstances under which these four remarkable women created their works in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Together with Tim van Beveren, she commences a quest which leads to France, Italy, Poland, and Germany. During expert interviews, the team manages to not only elicit aspects of the composers' lives and works but also discusses to which extent the legacy of the composers has been preserved and why their music is performed so rarely. At the piano Steckeweh skilfully revives the music, making the viewer feel almost personally acquainted with these remarkable composers.

  • Kyra Steckeweh
    Director
  • Tim van Beveren
    Director
    Jannan - the extradition, Stars for Warshaw, Fear is included in the Airfare, Operation Latin Phoenix, Unfiltered Breathed In - The Truth about Aerotoxic Syndrome
  • Kyra Steckeweh
    Writer
  • Tim van Beveren
    Writer
  • Tim van Beveren
    Producer
  • Kyra Steckeweh
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Komponistinnen
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 34 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 30, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    35,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland
  • Language:
    English, French, German
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 25fps
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Alive DOC International Documentary Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    September 22, 2018
    best documentary by a woman or about women
  • 10th World Music and Independent Film Festival
    Washington D.C.
    United States
    January 12, 2019
    best feature documentary
  • New York Movie Award 2019
    New York
    United States
    November 29, 2019
    Best documentary
  • OPUS KLASSIK 2020
    Berlin
    Germany
    October 17, 2020
    best audiovisual music production
Distribution Information
  • tvbmedia productions
    Country: Germany
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Kyra Steckeweh, Tim van Beveren

The pianist Kyra Steckeweh does not only deal with the standard repertoire for piano but also with scarcely known music created by women composers.
For the documentary „Women composers“ (2018) she focussed on the lives and works of Mel Bonis, Lili Boulanger, Fanny Hensel, and Emilie Mayer. She also recorded two albums with piano works by these women composers.
Kyra Steckeweh studied Piano with Tomoko Ogasawara at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg under the guidance of Prof. George Kern. In 2011 she received her Piano Diploma from the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. She also studied Music Education and History in Freiburg and passed the State Examination in 2009/2010.
Kyra Steckeweh lives in Leipzig (Germany).

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Director Statement

In Germany and France, women and men have been on an equal footing for about 70 years - on paper. However, this notion of equality is not reflected in the concert canon of the so-called “serious“ music. The oeuvre of the great male composers is held in such high esteem that women composers appear as marginal notes at most.
When I realised that my repertoire almost exclusively consisted of music composed by men, I began searching for pieces written by female composers. My research in archives, libraries, and publishing houses quickly brought to light a variety of remarkable piano pieces that have been buried in history and rarely performed.
I do see a lot of catching up to do, which is why the focus of my piano recitals has since shifted to the music of women composers.
In addition to the in-depth examination of the music, as a historian, I seeked to look “behind the notes“: How did these women live? What barriers did they have to overcome and how did they manage to cope with the obstacles of their time?
That gave the initial impetus for the film “WomenComposers“. Together with Berlin filmmaker Tim van Beveren, we commenced a quest for information, which led us to France, Italy, Poland, and Germany. During our expert interviews, we managed to not only elicit noteworthy aspects of the composers’ lives and works but also discussed to which extent the legacy of the composers has been preserved and why theirmusic is performed so rarely.
The reasons that made it difficult for women composers of the past to thrive in their profession are apparent: Women were not considered equal to men, neither legally nor socially, and attracted public attention only in exceptional cases.
All the more astonishing is the strong will of women like Mel Bonis, Lili Boulanger, Fanny Hensel, and Emilie Mayer to enforce their musical influence and to compose and disseminate their work even under the most challenging circumstances.
One can certainly say that, although these women’s lives were quite different from one another, all of them were privileged in their own ways.