Heartstrings

The press in the nineteenth-century was unkind to women composers. When they were not prejudged as incompetent, their works were assessed according to the criteria of feminine propriety: they were expected to compose pieces that were pretty, sweet and graceful. When some of them ventured to show more strength and vigour in their compositions, they met with incomprehension and indignation in equal measure. Yet, if one were to listen to the cello pieces presented in this concert without knowing the gender of the composers, who would imagine that they were written by women rather than men? Making full use of the instrument’s expressive powers, Rita Strohl, Henriette Renié and Marie Jaëll captivate us, regardless of the standards imposed upon them.