Rent Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn (2023)
3.9 of 5 from 14 ratings
1h 37min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Anyone who has been to a wedding has no doubt enjoyed the soaring musical genius of Felix Mendelssohn. His 'Wedding March' is probably the single most popular classical composition of all time. But Felix was not the only genius in the family; meet his brilliant sister Fanny, whose unknown 'Easter Sonata' surfaced in 1972. Director Sheila Hayman, three times great granddaughter of Fanny, reveals the extraordinary life of a composer long neglected by the guardians of classical music and goes on a quest to prove that this lost masterpiece attributed to Felix was actually composed by Fanny. Piano prodigy Isata Kanneh-Mason brings the beauty of Fanny's music to life in this story of a very modern woman who happened to live 200 years ago. - Actors:
- Anna Beer, Éric Heidsieck, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Alison Langer, Angela R. Mace, Robinson McClellan, Chi-Chi Nwanoku
- Directors:
- Sheila Hayman
- Producers:
- Sheila Hayman
- Writers:
- Sheila Hayman
- Studio:
- Mercury Studios
- Genres:
- Documentary, Music & Musicals, Special Interest
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Classical Music on Film: Composers, A Brief History of Film...
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 17/05/2024
- Run Time:
- 97 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English LPCM Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English, French, German, Italian
- Formats:
- NTSC
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
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Reviews (1) of Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn
Fanny's Turn for the Limelight - Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn review by CV
Of course the documentary was putting the record straight about the suppression of women composers (there are several others of this period suppressed by either their brothers or husbands) but no mention was made of the other dimension of her problem - her Jewish heritage, though the Mendelssohn family were practising Lutherans.
We get highlights and commentary of her work for piano and solo voice, but there was no mention of her chamber music which I believe she had composed. There was concentration on her Easter piano sonata, which is striking for its "masculine" force of expression and bold ideas. The tracking down of its existence introduced a mystery and expectation to the documentary. Felix, "the" Mendelssohn, was shown as a domineering and manipulative brother, chauvenistic and patronising, in the same way that Mozart was to his own sister and Schumann to his wife, Clara.
A good balance between narrative and music with a good one and a half hours devoted to the theme.
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