Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

Renowned performers including soprano Ingrid Attrot, violist Michael van der Sloot, and pianist Robert Holliston, present a program featuring the expressive instrumental works and poetic Art Songs of one of the most prolific composers of the Romantic era, Robert Schumann.

The program will focus on works of the prolific 19th century German composer Robert Schumann, making a wonderful connection between music and poetry, stories, fairy tales, and the imagination.

“Märchenbilder” or Fairy Tale Pictures for viola and piano (Op. 113, a late work), evokes childhood memories as the audience is transported through musical imagery depicting scenes from the Grimm Fairy Tales of Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, and the Sleeping Beauty.

“Liederkreis” (Op. 39) is one of the great song cycles of the 19th century, based on poetry taken from Joseph Eichendorff’s collection called Intermezzo. The collection of poems was gathered by both Robert Schumann and his then to be wife Clara during their courtship, to provide them both artistic and spiritual bonds during the times they were physically separated. The songs lead us through a variety of emotions of joy, love, and sadness, making us realize how important art, music, and poetry were in a time without telephones or any of the modern day means of communication we all take for granted.

The evening’s program is rounded off beautifully with Schumann’s Carnaval for solo piano (Op. 9), an early work completed just 8 years after the death of Beethoven. It is an impressive and imaginative set of character pieces and musical portraits, not only depicting Schumann’s own personal and musical characteristics, but also of his friends and important contemporaries. Behind this piece also lies a romantic story, represented through musical symbols contained within the piece that relate to Schumann’s finance at that time, Ernestine von Fricken. Ernestine’s daughter Clara is also represented in the work though, and as history tells us, it was Clara who eventually became Schumann’s wife!