Júlia Csejtei-Varga & Eszter Szabó Fully Staged Song Recital Presented by Liszt Academy

The staged song recital based on Robert Schumann’s song cycle “Frauenliebe und Leben” (A Woman’s Love and Life) and Clara Schumann’s personal writings seeks to answer the honest questions of being a wife, mother, and artist. “Every day I teach for two to three hours, practice for one hour, write in my diary, walk for at least one hour with Robert, spend time with my children, study English... You can see that there is little time left for conversation.” Although this text was written more than 150 years ago, it could very well be a brief text message from a modern young artist-wife-mother. Clara Schumann, the author of the lines above, is often discussed in the context of her relationships with Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms, as well as for her virtuoso piano playing. But who was this strong yet delicate woman who so elegantly balanced her female roles? Where did she draw her strength from to marry for love in the 19th century, despite her father’s wishes? How did she become the wife of a brilliant yet overly sensitive composer, the mother of eight children, a teacher, composer, and successful pianist? This performance is about Clara Schumann. But it is not just about her.