Fantasies: Brahms and the Schumanns

Johannes Brahms first arrived at the home of Clara and Robert Schumann as a precocious 21-year-old.

The couple – already established in music’s aristocracy – immediately recognised the brilliance of the young composer, and a lifelong triangle of musical respect, friendship, and perhaps more, began.

This lunchtime concert explores the music of these composers whose lives and reputations became so closely entwined. Robert’s ‘Fantasy Pieces’, performed here by viola and piano, suggest a spontaneous exchange of musical ideas; written four years later, Clara’s Romances brought her fame around Europe when she toured them with Joseph Joachim, the work’s dedicatee and the renowned violin virtuoso of the day.

Brahms had a particular affection for the horn, and his Trio – the only chamber music he wrote for the instrument – has a special magic to it, from the heart-wrenching slow movements to the exuberant hunting calls of the finale.