Justine Aronson, soprano
Thomas Cunningham, conductor
Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra
Arranged for string orchestra by Thomas Cunningham.
Perhaps the most frequent critical response to Clara’s lieder was how “manly” they were─for certain a backhanded compliment. It was not until critics could not discern who wrote which songs in Clara and Robert’s joint collection Liebesfrühling that it was tacitly admitted that their work was of the same quality.
One of the foremost pianists of her time, Clara performed more than 1,300 public recitals over the span of her 60-year career (1830-1891). She pioneered the piano recital model that continues to this day (“Bach or Scarlatti, a larger opus such as a Beethoven sonata, followed by shorter pieces by Brahms, Chopin, Mendelssohn or Schumann”). Clara was further well known for preluding, a now lost art form whereby pianists improvised in between pieces as a bridge of sorts.
During Clara’s career virtuoso pianists were expected not just to present works by other composers, but also their own compositions. Clara Wieck began composing prolifically at the age of 9. There was a distinct shift in her writing post-1940 that downplayed virtuosity, replacing it with a greater emotional depth and breadth of character. Tonight’s songs are chosen from that later period.
Clara saw herself as an advocate for Robert’s music. After his death in 1856, she stopped composing. This was, in part, financial, she needed to concertize more regularly to provide for her seven children. In total, she wrote 23 works with opus numbers, an additional two dozen songs, a piano concerto, and a number of solo piano works.
7 сен 2024
