Beloved Clara

The story of the intense relationships between Robert Schumann, his wife Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms has always fascinated music lovers. This programme of music and readings brings their history to life. It chronicles the sometimes troubled marriage of Clara and Robert, the arrival in their household of the dynamic, 21-year-old Brahms, Robert's decline into mental illness and the deepening relationship between Clara and Brahms, the exact nature of which has never been established. Music by all three is performed by the award-winning pianist Lucy Parham, interspersed with extracts from their letters and diaries, which are read by two celebrated actors.

Beloved Clara is scripted from the wealth of existing correspondence between Brahms and the Schumanns. Compiled by Jessica Duchen and Lucy Parham, its creation was inspired by Lucy Parham's lifelong passion for Schumann's music and it has evolved to its present state through added contributions from the actors involved.

Beloved Clara was premiered at the Wigmore Hall Masters Series in 2002. It has since been performed throughout the country in many festivals, concert halls and theatres. Highlights have included the Chichester, Harrogate and Salisbury Theatres, BAFTA, Beaumaris, Oxford, Rye, North Norfolk Festivals and Chelsea Festivals as well as at Cadogan Hall in the 2006 Schumann Festival. Actors appearing with Lucy Parham include Joanna David, Martin Jarvis, Juliet Stevenson, Eleanor Bron, Stanley Townsend, Rosalind Ayres, Gabrielle Drake, Robert Glenister, Malcolm Sinclair, Christopher Bramwell, Jane Purcell, Edward Fox, Christopher Cazenove, Timothy West, Charles Dance and Sebastian Koch.

Beloved Clara has been widely featured in the Independent, the Times, the Guardian, BBC Radio 4 (Woman's Hour), BBC World Service, Classic FM, BBC Music Magazine, BBC Radio 3 (In Tune) and Pianist Magazine.

"This is a beautifully put - together portrait of one of classical music's most romantic and tragic marriages and it's every bit as glamorous and star crossed as Romeo and Juliet. Brahms's description of Schumann's death, with Clara kneeling by his bed is almost unbearably moving. Kleenex required.
The Guardian - Audio Book Of The Week - 24/05/08

"The readings combine great dignity with a delicate poignancy. The changing moods of the Schumann and Brahms repertoire, from the capricious and turbulent to the reflective and haunting, are deftly interpreted by Lucy Parham. The whole is an intimate portrait, with the passions of the presenters as palpable as those of their subjects."
The Observer - 29/07/07

All three performers are given a satisfying amount of good material into which to sink their teeth. The music is well chosen and played with an exquisite touch and stylistic empathy by Parham.
Gramophone Magazine - August 2007