Lucy Parham, Patricia Hodge

Pianist Lucy Parham’s meticulously researched Composer Portraits are always a Festival highlight. This brand-new show, I, Clara celebrates the extraordinary life of Clara Schumann – devoted wife to Robert and a ground-breaking musician herself – in the year that marks her 200th anniversary.

One of the few famous women composers of her time, Clara was a child prodigy, performed over 1,500 concerts during her lifetime and was the mother of eight children. She composed prolifically in the Romantic style – her music exploring her inner emotional life.

The narrative of I, Clara, drawn from letters and diaries, is interspersed with pieces by Clara and Robert Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn and Chopin. In the title role, esteemed actress Juliet Stevenson thrillingly conveys Clara’s rebellious nature, vivid love life and searing tragedy.

Narrated by Juliet Stevenson.