MOZART’S SISTER

Sunday School of Rock’s fifth offering continues the theme of women in music kicking against the pricks (and stretching the definition of “rock” in the bargain) with MOZART’S SISTER.

Was Maria Anna Mozart the most talented musician in the family? Four and a half years older than her little brother, it was her playing of the harpsichord that inspired three year-old Wolfgang, to follow in his sister’s footsteps. Realizing that he had a pair of virtuosos on his hands, father Leopold took them on an extended tour where they wowed aristocratic audiences across Europe.

Maria Anna, or as she was known in the family, Nannerl’s performances attracted breathless reviews such as this one from the Intelligenz-Zettel of Augsburg on 19 May 1763.

“Just imagine a girl 11 years of age who can perform on the harpsichord or the fortepiano the most difficult sonatas and concertos by the greatest masters, most accurately, readily and with an almost incredible ease, in the very best of taste.”

And this one by Baron Friedrich Melchior Grimm in December: “His daughter, eleven years of age, plays the harpsichord in the most brilliant manner; she performs the longest and most difficult pieces with an astonishing precision.”

A further observation by the Baron a couple of years later might hint at why Nannerl’s days in the public eye were numbered: “Mlle Mozart, now thirteen years of age, and moreover grown much prettier, has the most beautiful and most brilliant execution on the harpsichord.”

Here’s what the producers have to say about the film.

“For the first 18 years of her life, Mozart’s sister shared equal billing with her brother. Musical partners and collaborators, Wolfgang Mozart and Maria-Anna Mozart played together before Kings and Queens, and were the talk of Europe. What happened to her? Forced into retirement by age 16 because she was a woman, a stunning new investigation explores why she was retired.”

From multi-awarded Director/Producer Madeleine Hetherton-Miau and Producer Rebecca Barry, MOZART’S SISTER is a ‘musical-mystery’ story that explores the lost talent of Maria-Anna Mozart.

Running time: 100 minutes