Three Musicians' Love: New Ballet 'Clara Schumann' Returns
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
The contemporary ballet Clara Schumann, choreographed by James Jeon, returns to Arko Arts Theater on the 26th–27th after its 2023 premiere. The work dramatizes the tragic emotional triangle among Robert Schumann (composer with mental illness), his wife and celebrated pianist Clara Schumann, and her devoted protégé Johannes Brahms. Structured in ten scenes — from "days of love" to "fateful meetings" — the production emphasizes the three artists' inner lives through modern, dramatic movement and live music: performers play the composers' piano quartets and solo piano pieces from offstage and sometimes onstage (live performance). This revival adds Clara's demanding father, Friedrich Wieck (her piano teacher), whose opposition to their marriage and later reconciliation shaped her career. The ballet blends choreography with live chamber music, using corps movement to suggest musical notation and staging Clara's piano playing as a focal dramatic element. The 2023 production received critical acclaim and awards; the new run refines earlier elements for greater completeness.
