Venezia, Daverio e Gasparian riscopre il repertorio femminile in concerto

In a notable event on October 27, 2026, the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice hosted a concert that focused exclusively on music composed by women. The program, crafted by flautist Iris Daverio and pianist Jean-Paul Gasparian, went beyond simply introducing lesser-known female composers. It also raised important questions about the historical marginalization of women’s contributions to chamber music.

The concert’s repertoire highlighted the structural barriers women composers have faced over centuries, including limited access to formal musical education, publication hurdles, and professional opportunities. This systemic exclusion was especially pronounced in the context of the flute repertoire, as women only began widely performing on the transverse flute during the 20th century. This late adoption meant that female composers writing for flute often lacked the chance to hear their works performed by peers sharing their gendered experience.

Staging this program at the Palazzetto Bru Zane was a deliberate choice. The institution has earned a distinguished reputation for reviving French Romantic and early 20th-century music that mainstream concert circuits frequently overlook. Situating a concert dedicated to female composers within this framework underscores the dual marginalization these works endure, both in terms of gender and stylistic or geographical recognition.

Among the works performed was the Sonata by Mel Bonis, a French composer whose oeuvre remains underrepresented outside specialist circles. Bonis, born Mélanie Bonis, used a male pseudonym to navigate the professional challenges of her time. Despite her extensive and technically accomplished output, her music rarely appears in standard concert programs. Presenting her Sonata in Venice symbolized a shift, moving her music beyond academic study and into active performance, thereby reclaiming its place in the living repertoire.

Iris Daverio’s role as principal flute of the Opéra National de Paris brings significant artistic weight to the endeavor. Her participation signals the program’s commitment to artistic excellence rather than a compensatory gesture. Paired with Jean-Paul Gasparian on piano, the duo approached the music with balance and restraint, allowing the compositions to speak for themselves without interpretive excess. This method affirmed the intrinsic quality of the repertoire rather than highlighting perceived gaps or weaknesses.

The Palazzetto Bru Zane’s ongoing mission to unearth neglected French music aligns naturally with this gender-focused initiative. The concert added to a growing but still incomplete mapping of female composers’ contributions within the broader Romantic and early modern French musical landscape. Although such events have occurred before at the venue, each iteration helps to broaden awareness and appreciation of this historically sidelined repertoire.

The necessity of explicitly labeling such concerts as “female composers’ programs” remains a telling commentary on the current state of classical music programming in Italy and Europe more widely. Ideally, these works would be integrated routinely into concert seasons rather than singled out. The success of the Venice event demonstrates that this repertoire can stand on equal footing with more frequently programmed works, both technically and artistically.

Ultimately, the concert by Daverio and Gasparian challenges concert organizers to reconsider programming conventions. When music by composers like Mel Bonis is delivered with high-level artistry in prestigious settings, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify their exclusion from regular repertoires. This event marks a step toward normalizing the presence of women’s compositions on European concert stages, prompting reflection on when such inclusion will become standard practice rather than exception.