Always Clara

Clara Schumann was a formidable character – a phenomenally gifted pianist, brilliant composer, editor of her husband Robert Schumann’s compositions and key supporter of Brahms, her contribution to the world of music is vast. The first half of this concert celebrates Clara herself, first in Gabriela Ortiz’s Clara, a musical telling of the story of her relationship with Robert, and then in her own Piano Concerto, a dancing, dazzling tour-de-force. The second half of the programme features two composers important to Clara, both writing with a distinctly sun-kissed, Italian flavour.