CLARA AND ROBERT – A LOVE STORY FOR THE AGES!!!

As musical love stories go, none are more poignant and enduring than the 19th century romance between the brilliant composer-pianist Clara Wieck, and the hyper-emotional composer, Robert Schumann. What started out as a playful friendship, soon developed into a budding romance, which from there, continued to deepen. Clara’s father completely disapproved, resulting in them being forbidden to meet, an edict he reinforced by taking Clara on extended concert tours throughout Europe making their separation even more complete. Being resourceful, Clara and Robert took to communicating by covert letters, and a “love motif” hidden in the piano works written by both of them. Parental disapproval never wained. In 1840, when Clara was 21 and Robert 30, they were finally allowed to marry by court petition. Together they became what can surly be regarded as one of the first “power couples” in musical circles. When Robert died at the age of 46, Clara was only 37. For the remaining 40 years of her long life, she promoted Robert’s music tirelessly; editing, publishing and performing his works, placing his music front and centre on Europe’s musical map. She never remarried. As Robert had prophetically written in his diary many years earlier, theirs was truly “A union for eternity”. 

This concert will feature piano works by both Clara Wieck Schumann and Robert Schumann. 

ALLEN REISER – PIANIST 

“It was clear from his opening flourish in Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto that he is a player not only of dynamic brilliance, but of mellow touch…”  (London – England)

Allen Reiser has performed with various orchestras in England and Canada, and recital engagements have taken him to nearly every major centre in Western Canada. He is a pianist of diverse musical interests, with a particular interest in Canadian piano music and the music of Franz Liszt. 

Allen Reiser’s first released CD, “A Canadian Piano Album”, was nominated for a 2001 Prairie Music Award in the category of Outstanding Classical Recording. A second CD, “Sonatinas and Little Sonatas”, was released in June of 2009; “…. a wonderful collection of intermediate-level sonatas and sonatinas”. (Clavier Jan/Feb 2010) His Sonatina album was the basis for a book published in Germany, simply titled “Allen Reiser”, which focuses on the composers present on that CD. 

Allen Reiser is a National Gold Medalist of the Royal Conservatory of Music. He is active throughout Western Canada as a performer, adjudicator and master class clinician, and has presented workshops and recitals for local, provincial and national Registered Music Teachers’ Associations. He has been honoured by Calgary’s Mount Royal University with a Distinguished Faculty/Teaching Award (1992), and by the Royal Conservatory of Music with a Teacher of Distinction Award (2020). His two major teaching positions have been at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, and at Calgary’s Mount Royal University, and he has been guest piano instructor at summer schools in Cranbrook, Camrose, Sundre and Victoria. He currently operates a private piano studio in Calgary.

This concert is the second in a series of five Piano Concerts during 2024 generously sponsored by: