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St Hugh’s celebrates 200 years since the birth of Clara Schumann, renowned pianist and composer

Last Saturday, 5 October, we were pleased to welcome over 100 alumni, students, Fellows and guests for a fabulous evening of words and music to celebrate 200 years since the birth of pianist and composer Clara Schumann (1819-1896).

We were honoured to be joined on the evening by actor Esmé Patey-Ford, acclaimed British duo James Gilchrist (tenor) and Anna Tilbrook (piano), and by Elise Båtnes and Louisa Tuck, First Concertmaster and Solo Cello of the Oslo Philharmonic respectively. Our artists performed a programme designed and developed especially for St Hugh’s, including a selection of Clara’s wonderful Lieder and performances of her Three Romances (Op.22) and Piano Trio in G Minor (Op.17), as well as Lieder composed by Clara’s husband, Robert Schumann.

The music was interspersed with readings from the letters between Clara and Robert Schumann which provided a fascinating insight into the relationship between the two and added context to the music performed on the night. At the end of the evening, guests had the opportunity to chat to the artists and get copies of their CDs signed.

Our deepest thanks must go to our artists for a truly exceptional performance. The Development Team would also like to thank Professor Roy Westbrook, Senior Tutor, for hosting the event and providing the introductory notes for the programme, and Dr Margit Dirscherl for her translation of Clara Schumann’s Sechs Lieder.

We are delighted to share a selection of photos from Saturday’s performance, taken by Sophie Cheng: