BRAHMS | SCHUMANN | Filharmonicy kameralnie

We have already presented Brahms on the occasion of earlier concerts. It was this handsome young man who one day knocked at the door of the Schumann family and actually stayed with them forever. We rarely realize that most composers of the Romantic era knew one another other very well. Klara Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn, Fryderyk Chopin... Although the biography of each of them could be used as a material for a monograph, probably the most emotional load is carried by the story of Robert Schumann. If we tried to put it in a nutshell, we would recommend you to remember three words: love, song, insanity. However, we must point out that it is difficult to separate myths from unambiguous facts.

When it comes to love, it must be stormy. Schumann probably fell in love with Klara, the most talented of the six children of Friedrich Wieck, his piano teacher. Attempts of the father trying to destroy their relationship at all costs only ensured the young pianist and the fresh composer in a fiery feeling. Eventually, they got married after twelve years from their first meeting.

Romanticism is, first of all, a search for identity and roots. In Germany and throughout Europe, the sources of human nature and ethnic roots were seen in music, especially in songs. It is not a coincidence that in the British Isles folk art became the subject of artistic studies, and on Polish territories, artists undertook topics based on old religious songs. In the canon of German art, there were three elements assumed to express the German national spirit: the theme of the Rhine, the theme of the German forest and the song.

Between madness and genius – this phrase can often be found in the publications about Robert Schumann. Although it is inexplicable and terrible, the composer was seriously ill. His condition had gradually been worsening since 1847 when his friend Felix Mendelssohn died. Schumann heard terrifying voices in his head that called him to go hell. He repeatedly claimed that he heard symphonic music, which he then tried to note down. By the end of his life, his late friends were to dictate music to him. After an attempt to commit suicide, while already in a mental hospital, for hours he was writing alphabetically the city names found in the atlas.

Piano Trio in D minor, which was written in the mentioned the year 1847, will sound this evening. A question arises, which we often ask ourselves, listening to music: how much are the thoughts and emotions of the composer reflected in it? We have already listened to Beethoven, Możdżer, Brahms, Moss, Bartok and many others this season. We read their biographies. What truth about them and the world around them can we hear in their works?

The event is accompanied by a Clef Lounge for children as part of a family Sunday at the Philharmonic.