ROBERT SCHUMANN
Songs of the Morning op. 133 for piano
Fantasiestücke op. 73 for cello and piano
Humoreske op. 20 for piano
CLARA SCHUMANN
3 preludes and fugues op. 16 for piano
fugitive piece op. 15 N° 3 for piano
Clara and Robert Schumann had a passionate relationship on both musical and personal levels. Clara was a prodigious and celebrated pianist, a composer in her own right and an ardent supporter of her husband’s works. Robert, an emblematic composer of German Romanticism, drew his inspiration from the writers of the time, such as Jean-Paul and E.T.A Hoffmann, and from his love for Clara.
The programme chosen by pianist Sylviane Deferne features musical gems composed by this legendary couple, with the stated aim of being accessible to modern listeners. Robert’s great Humoreske, brilliant and full of contrasts, his Fantaisiestücke op 73, here in the version for cello, and his Chants de l’Aube, an intimate confession of the last hour, deliver a deeply moving message. Clara’s response is full of love and tenderness, and includes some of the most beautiful pages ever written from her pen.
