en pleine lumière - 2nd volume
My epiphany about composers who were women happened in early 2019. After years and years of training, and decades of working in the field of classical music, I finally realized that the absence of women from the classical ‘canon’ was based on a BIG FAT LIE. The prevailing narrative was that either classical composers who were women just didn’t exist, or if they did exist, their music just wasn’t worth bothering with. To this day, I am still so embarrassed and ashamed that I NEVER THOUGHT TO QUESTION THIS!
Anyhow, back to 2019. I had decided to take that entire year as a self-funded sabbatical, with a vague idea about re-calibrating my life. At the outset, I had no particular plan, other than to practise, study, and to do so while house-sitting wherever the opportunity arose to do so.
Quite soon into January of that year, I started exploring some piano music written by 19th century women. It was a very emotional time as I began to discover so much incredible music by composers I had never heard of. That this music has existed all along, but unbenownst to me! My epiphany was not only these discoveries, but also that this was to beome my primary focus. After decades of nearly always and only playing, teaching, and coaching music composed by men, it felt important to right that balance at least in my own life, by using the decades I have left to focus nearly always and only on music composed by women. Hopefully by doing so, I could help shed some light for others onto these works of art that have languished so rarely heard for way too long.
This was the beginning of my en pleine lumière (in full light) recording project. I would record a series of albums, each one focused on a different generation of women who composed.
My conviction was that to be fully in alignment with my purpose, the project should be produced as much as possible by a team of women. I was thrilled and fortunate to find a very competent and professional ‘Tonmeisterin’ (German for female recording engineer & producer) in Germany: Kaling Hanke. We worked very well together and the first en pleine lumière album, which was released in December 2019 is the fruit of this collaboration.
So then…on to en pleine lumière Volume 2! Continuing on to the next generation of composers, Volume 2 would feature women born in late 19th century and would be recorded in mid-2020. Kaling and I made a plan to do so.
EXCEPT —— WAIT!!!
Yes, life became one gigantic sequence of cancellations and postponements and despair. I have lost track of how many attempts were made throughout 2021 and 2022 to get these recording sessions rescheduled. Very, very frustrating, disappointing, and demoralizing. And yes, I am fully aware that compared to the tragedies and miseries experienced by so many during this time, cancelled recording sessions are fairly insignificant. But as this project feels like it is at the heart of my missions, a sense of hopelessness took over.
Out of this frustration however, the ‘Piano Music She Wrote’ project was initiated and has in part served to fulfil my need to promote music composed in women. (Please see our PMSW website and youtube channel.)
And now, apparently it is 2023!?!? And I do believe just about all the pieces are falling into place for en pleine lumière Volume 2 to finally come into being!
The producer/Tonmeisterin Kaling has been engaged. The fabulous recording venue, Immanuelskirche in Wuppertal, Germany has been reserved. The Shigeru Kawai piano has been chosen. And now, it’s time for the one piece of the puzzle that will make it all possible: the fund-raising.
You may be surprised to learn that all of my previous albums cost around or just above $10,000 to produce, but that is what it costs to create a high quality recording. It is no secret that everything is now quite a bit more expensive than just a few years ago, so I am asking you, my people, to come together to help make this recording happen.
In particular, I feel this generation of women composers suffered perhaps even more silence and erasure than other generations. When you think of the fact that they were born in the 1880s and 1890s, you realize that all of them lived through WWI, and many of them also through WWII. In wartime conditions that often resulted in the need to flee one’s home, one can easily imagine that gathering up belongings in a hurry may have meant that manuscripts got left behind. In addition, the early days of the sufragette movement are known to have been in reaction to a time when misogyny was prevalent.
To say it directly…I am asking you to help me to right some of the wrongs that occurred, that kept these pieces of music and these artists from being heard.
The EPL2 recording will feature ten or eleven composers from seven countries, and four continents. A few of these women have started to receive a bit of airplay in the past few years, but there are also several whom you may not yet know of. All of the music is captivating, beautiful, and worthy of becoming standard repertoire.
The costs of producing this album can be described in four categories, and I invite you to choose which category you’d most like to participate in:
1. The piano itself
2. The venue
3. Travel and accommodation
4. Production costs
A contribution in any amount is very greatly appreciated.
A contribution of $25 or more is akin to pre-buying the CD, which will be sent to you in late 2023.
A contribution of $100 or more means I will thank you in the printed CD liner notes and you can choose which category of participation you’d like to be a part of. Of course, you will also receive the CD, and one of the following:
1. $100 and more towards the piano rental: you will receive access to a video of my playing one piece on the Shigeru Kawai, in early July.
2. $100 and more towards the cost of the venue: you will receive access to a behind-the-scenes video tour of Immanuelskirche and area.
3. $100 and more towards travel expenses: you will receive a personalized post card, posted from Wuppertal while I am there.
4. $100 and more towards production costs: you will have access to my daily vlogs/videos documenting the recording process.
A contribution of $500 and more: you will receive all of the above expressions of my gratitude.
A huge thanks to each of you for reading this entire piece, and for your support in whichever ways are possible for you, including sharing this info with your community. Your early contributions are especially welcome, as they show your confidence and excitement about the project, and help to fund the deposits to hold the space and the instrument.
CD cover art by artist Vanessa Bell (sister of Virginia Woolf!)