Clara Schumann

Among the renowned women in the art world, the charismatic personality of CLARA SCHUMANN (Clara Josefina Wieck) projects a distinctive and versatile presence within the incumbent musical culture of Romanticism. A pianist of outstanding talent the daughter of renowned piano instructor Friedrich Wieck, she attracted attention from a very early age not only with her vibrant performing talent, but also with her bright and sophisticated nature. At the age of nine she performed at Leipzig’s Gewandhaus and on eleven toured in Paris and other cities across Europe. At Weimar Goethe presented her with a medal with his effigy and a laudatory handwritten note and Pagannini invited her to perform with him. At the age of eighteen she played concerts in Vienna for several months, greeted with admiration by Chopin, Liszt, ftendelssohn and Spohr, and Austria’s greatest dramatic poet Grillparzer penned the poem Clara Wieck and Beethoven following her performance of the Apassionata. For more than six decades (she gave her last concert at the age of seventy-one), Clara Schumann toured as a guest soloist across Europe - Danemark, England, Scotland, Russia, Germany, and later in a chamber ensemble with the celebrated violinist Joseph Joachim and cellist Alfredo Piatti and was welcomed universally as one of the greatest virtuosos of the day. Her over 1300 concert appearances have reshaped many of the key aspects of piano performance and redefined the attitudes of the audiences – she enriched the piano repertoire with many opuses by contemporary romantic authors and was among the first performers who played by rote. Her innovative interpretative ideas gained wide currency thanks also to her extensive practice as an instructor at the Frankfurt Concervatory almost to the end of her life. Clara Schumann has made history with her selfless dedication to Robert Schumann as a wife, mother of their eight children and interpretator, devoted to the popularization of his music. ftany pages were written on their great love, Schumann’s long years of struggle against Friedrich Wieck’s resistance, the meaningful creative life they had together. Robert dedicated a number of his works to her. She is the exquisite Chiarina from his gallery of images in the Carnaval Suite Op. 9; it was thanks to her that he became familiar with the music of some of his contemporaries; he accompanied her on her concert tour to Russia. And Clara was invariably at his side during the time of his illness and seclusion, and after his death she devoted all her strength to ensure that Schumann’s music would continue to be heard, edited his works and collaborated for their publication by Breitkopf & Härtel, collected and published all of his letters and diaries. Her advice and authoritative evaluation were constantly sought by Johannes Brahms, who in the early years of his youth received Robert Schuman’s professional support and remained a faithful friend of his family. ftany works by Brahms also owe their premiere performance and success to the skillful interpretations given by Clara Schumann.