“IT IS music’s lofty mission to shed light on the depths of the human heart,” so said Robert Schumann, whose music will be celebrated this month with a weekend of concerts in Galway.
Music For Galway will present Fantasies and Fairytales - The Music of Robert Schumann in the Town Hall Theatre from Friday January 22 to Sunday 24. The concerts will mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth and feature performances by the ConTempo Quartet, Romanian pianist Eduard Stan, Russian baritone Rodion Pogossov, and German clarinettist Johannes Peitz.
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856 ) was a German composer, aesthete, music critic, one of the most important Romantic composers of the 19th century.
Schumann dreamed of becoming a virtuoso pianist, but a hand injury prevented him from realising his ambitions. However he was not to be turned away from music and focused his energies on composition. His published compositions were written exclusively for the piano until 1840; he later composed works for piano and orchestra, many lieder (songs for voice and piano ), four symphonies, an opera, and other orchestral, choral, and chamber works. His writings about music appeared mostly in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, a Leipzig-based publication that he jointly founded.
Schumann was married to the pianist and composer Clara Wieck, who enjoyed a considerable concert career, including premieres of many of her husband’s works.
The programme for Fantasies and Fairytales will feature Op 132 for clarinet, viola, and piano, Piano Quartet, Op 47, the adagio and allegro from Op 70 for cello and piano, the String Quartet no 3 in A major, Piano Quintet, Op 44, and the songs ‘Die Löwenbraut’, ‘Der Nussbaum’, ‘Widmung’, ‘An Den Mond’, ‘Du Wist Wie Eine Blume’, ‘Der Hidalgo’.
Evening tickets are €20/16/6, the Saturday 2pm recital is €10/6 and a festival ticket is €55/45. Booking is through the Town Hall Theatre (091 - 569777 or www.tht.ie ). Full programme details are available from Music for Galway on 091 - 705962 or online www.musicforgalway.ie
