Audiences can look forward to over 170 events in 2019. Around 60 institutions from the Leipzig cultural scene are contributing to these events (including the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig Ballet, MDR Radio Choir, Bach Museum, Schumann House, Theater der Jungen Welt) and internationally renowned artists such as Lauma and Baiba Skride (piano/violin), Antje Weithaas (violin), Andris Nelsons (chief conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra and trumpet player), Ragna Schirmer (piano), the cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and Peter Bruns, as well as the Vogler Quartet and the Alinde Quartet.
The Clara Schumann theme extends far beyond orchestral and chamber music concerts: Theatre and ballet productions, exhibitions, symposiums, walks, bike rides, sing-along concerts in the parks and an open-air worship service are all inspired by the versatility of the 19th Century star. In cooperation with Accentus Music and Arte, MDR Kultur is making a documentary about Clara Schumann and her trajectory across Europe, starting from her homeland (broadcast in September 2019). On the occasion of the birthday, the Jürgen Kleinert bakery has developed a "Clärchen" - the traditional Leipzig pastry "Die Lerche" ("the Skylark") will be a "sweet homage" to Clara Schumann in 2019 and is now available at all Kleinert branches.
"The festival year CLARA19 puts a new face on the music city of Leipzig! The pianist, composer, concert entrepreneur and teacher Clara Schumann, who went on concert tours throughout Europe and helped to shape European culture, is particularly inspiring. Leipzig's cultural actors have enthusiastically embraced the theme. We invite you to take part in a festive year, which is the most comprehensive attempt ever made to unite cultural institutions both large and small to develop a common theme", says Dr. Skadi Jennicke, Mayor and head of the Department of Culture. The city of Leipzig is sponsoring the year of the festival in 2018 and 2019 to the tune of 340,000 euros, of which 110,000 euros have been provided by the independent scene.
CLARA19 is a project of the city of Leipzig with the support of Leipzig Tourism and Marketing GmbH. Artistic director Gregor Nowak (Schumann House Leipzig) is delighted with the response: "CLARA19 is a festive year that does not follow an all-encompassing script, but instead brings to life the energy and power of the unique music city of Leipzig. Clara Schumann's exceptional work and her dramatic life offer optimal points of reference for an exploration that is artistic, scientific and entertaining at the same time, opening up perspectives that have lost none of their relevance for our times."
Clara Schumann in Leipzig
Clara Schumann spent her first 25 years in Leipzig and married Robert Schumann here. She gave her successful concert debut at the Leipzig Gewandhaus when she was nine years old. As a renowned concert performer, she enjoyed great musical success in the Leipzig period in Paris, Vienna, Copenhagen and St. Petersburg, among other places. On the occasion of her 50th anniversary as a performer in 1878, she was honoured at the Leipzig Gewandhaus.
Clara and Robert Schumann spent the happy first four years of their marriage in Schumann House in Leipzig. On 13 September 1840, the newlyweds moved into their first shared domicile in an emerging new district, which was to become the centre of the book trade. Numerous publishers and book printers settled here, including Breitkopf & Härtel and C.F. Peters as well as F.A. Brockhaus and Reclam. At Inselstrasse 18, the creative couple regularly welcomed famous personalities such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz. Robert Schumann composed some of his major works here, for example opus 37, the Liebesfrühling together with Clara, the Spring Symphony op. 38, the Dichterliebe op. 48 and his Piano Quintet op. 44, which his wife premiered at the Gewandhaus.
Further Information
clara19.leipzig.de (German)