SCHUMANN: 1840

In the 19th century, the name Robert Schumann was synonymous with the term "excellence" in the lied genre. Due to a hand injury, the promising pianist was forced to end his performing career early and devote himself entirely to composition. However, it was precisely this personal tragedy for the musician that made his songs so unique: for the first time in the history of the Lied, the piano played as great a role in Schumann's music as the voice. Schumann's repertoire reached its peak in 1840, when he composed an astonishing 138 songs - perhaps because in the same year he was finally allowed to marry the virtuoso pianist and composer Clara Wieck after a protracted legal dispute with her father. Two of his best-known works were composed during this time: the cycle FRAUENLIEBE UND -LEBEN op. 42, which depicts the relationship between a woman and her husband from their first encounter until his death, and LIEDERKREIS op. 39, a collection with a connection to nature that focuses on the forest, the sky and flying. Soprano Irina Jae-Eun Park and pianist Dokyung Han will accompany you through these two works from Schumann's heyday.