MOZART’S SISTER
Australia, 2024, 98 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Madeline Heatherton-Miau.
One of the points made early in the film is that so many people over the centuries and into the present time are not aware that Wolfgang Mozart had a sister. Let alone that she was a composer and a talented pianist.
This is an international documentary for the new awareness of Maria Anna Mozart. It has been internationally financed including from Screen Australia. And, the documentary, with a variety of talking head experts on music, musicology, history, and handwriting… We are taken to various locations around the world including Australia, Sydney and Darwin, in the US Tucson and New York, Britain, Austria…
The film also has some reconstruction of scenes, the costumes and decor of the 18th century, many portraits, some re-enactments.
The film explains the background of the Mozart family, Leopold Mozart and his skill as a violinist, his love of music, his awareness of the genius of his children, the three and half years of touring Europe, from Austria through Germany, the low countries, France and to London. Both of the children still very young, no sibling rivalry, rather companionship, playing the piano, composing, writing the music, and the young Mozart discovering his talent. There were also times when their father was too sick and they had to imagine the music and to write it down in silence.
For those who love the music of Mozart, there is a great deal on his background, his talent, his place in the family, his marriage, his genius, early death. And, with the help of some historians, with Alma Deutscher, herself a composer, pianist and conductor when young, insights into Maria Anna Mozart. And, practical comments from veteran conductor, Dane Jane Glover.
The film also takes us to the various locations of Mozart’s life, his birthplace in Salzburg with all the tourists, the museums, especially with the manuscripts, to Vienna.
Which makes the film a combination of re-enactment and drama, a presentation of the music, and a masterclass in history, research, the reassignment of the Mozart catalogue, identification of his sister’s compositions, close examination of signatures on writings to test authenticity.
Definitely for classical music lovers but also for a public aware of Mozart – but discovering they need to know something of Maria Anna Mozart, his sister.
