The story of the intense relationships between Robert
Schumann, his wife Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms
has always fascinated music lovers. This programme
of music and readings brings their history to life.
It chronicles the sometimes troubled marriage of
Clara and Robert, the arrival in their household
of the dynamic, 21-year-old Brahms, Robert’s
decline into mental illness and the deepening relationship
between Clara and Brahms, the exact nature of which
has never been established. Music by all three is
performed by the award-winning pianist Lucy Parham,
interspersed with extracts from their letters and
diaries, which are read by two celebrated actors.
Beloved Clara is scripted from the wealth of existing
correspondence between Brahms and the Schumanns.
Compiled by Jessica Duchen and Lucy Parham, its creation
was inspired by Lucy Parham’s lifelong passion
for Schumann’s music and it has evolved to
its present state through added contributions from
the actors involved.
Beloved Clara was premiered at the Wigmore Hall
Masters Series in 2002. It has since been performed
throughout the country in many festivals, concert
halls and theatres. Highlights have included the
Chichester, Harrogate and Salisbury Theatres, BAFTA,
Oxford, Rye, North Norfolk Festivals and Chelsea
Festivals as well as at Cadogan Hall in the 2006
Schumann Festival. Actors who have appeared with
Lucy Parham include Joanna David, Martin Jarvis,
Eleanor Bron, Stanley Townsend, Rosalind Ayres, Gabrielle
Drake, Robert Glenister, Malcolm Sinclair, Jane Purcell,
Edward Fox, Christopher Cazenove, Timothy West and
Charles Dance. Future performers for both Beloved
Clara and Odyssey of Love include Juliet Stevenson,
Geraldine James, Henry Goodman and Sebastian Koch.
Beloved Clara has been widely featured in the Independent,
the Times, the Guardian, BBC Radio 4 (Woman’s
Hour), BBC World Service, Classic FM, BBC Music Magazine,
BBC Radio 3 (In Tune) and Pianist Magazine.
The international premiere of Beloved Clara took
place at the Bergen International Festival in June
2007. Recent performances include the Cadogan Hall
Celebrity Recital Series in 2008, a gala concert
at the Harrogate Royal Hall and the US première
for LA Theatreworks, Los Angeles in December 2008.
It will also be broadcast across the USA on National
Public Radio.
The CD of Beloved Clara, featuring actors Martin
Jarvis and Joanna David, has been released to critical
acclaim by Sanctuary/ASV. It was chosen as CD of
the Week in the Sunday Times, the Guardian and the
Observer.
The Cast:
