Reconstruction of Clara Schumann’s London Concert (Wednesday, 1st February 1871)
Concerto Cristofori at All Saints Church, Kent
Sunday, 15 November 2009, 7.45pm
All Saints Church
Birling Road, Ryarsh, West Malling, Kent ME19 5LS
Thomas Guthrie baritone
Sharona Joshua 1853 Pleyel piano
Beethoven Sonata Op.31 No.3
Schumann ‘Flütenreicher Ebro’, Op.138 No.5
Mendelssohn Frühlingslied, Op.62 No.6
Schumann Davidsbündlertänze Op.6
Brahms ‘Von Ewiger Liebe’, Op.43 No.1
Bach Italian Concerto, BWV.971
Schubert ‘Die Liebe Farbe’, Die Schöne Müllerin, D.795
‘Die böse Farbe’, Die Schöne Müllerin, D.795
Mendelssohn Prelude in E minor, from Prelude & Fugue, Op.35
Chopin Nocturne in G minor
Impromptu in C minor, Op.66
For more information about the venue please go to All Saints Church website
In 1858 Sir Charles Hallé formed the “Monday & Saturday Popular Concerts” at the new St. James’ Hall in London. Initially, the months of May and June were reserved for keyboard recitals, and Clara Schumann (née Wieck) was invited regularly to perform at these events.
From 1856 to 1888 Clara Wieck returned to perform at Crystal Palace Hall and later at St James’s Hall in London on a regular basis. She created imaginative, thrilling concert programmes designed to meet the growing demand for chamber music. She was joined by the greatest artists of the time to perform music ranging from orchestral and operatic repertoire, to more intimate chamber works.
In these concert performances spanning a lifetime, Clara Wieck revived long forgotten music by the masters of the past, and increased the standing of contemporary composers, in particular that of her own husband, Robert Schumann.
150 years later, through detailed research, Sharona Joshua, and her ensemble Concerto Cristofori recreate the actual concert programmes that were performed by Clara in London at the time.
Concerto Cristofori use period instruments, including a Romantic era 1853 Pleyel piano, a type of piano played frequently by Clara Schumann. Coupled with a return to the prevalent techniques of the time, these concert performances present a rare, unique and illuminating experience for today’s audiences.
