Clara Schumann shattered gender norms and may have broken hearts in 19th-century Germany.
In Clara, Fresco Opera Theatre tackles the scandalous tale of one of history’s finest yet most frequently overlooked musicians. Performances run April 1-3 at Overture Center’s Promenade Hall.
“It’s a true, tragic love story straight from a soap opera. You can’t make this stuff up,” says Frank Cain, Fresco Opera Theatre’s executive director, co-founder and co-writer of the libretto.
Not only was Clara Schumann a child prodigy and groundbreaking female performer and composer, she was also at the center of a Romantic-era love triangle with Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. She battled for emancipation from her stage father in order to marry Schumann. Robert, supposedly envious of her renowned talent, later attempted suicide, went mad and died in an asylum. Meanwhile, superstar Clara developed an intriguing and intimate relationship with the Schumanns’ student, Johannes Brahms. Supposedly, the two lovers actually burned their letters at one point to avoid detection. Rumor has it that Clara’s eighth child, born when Robert was institutionalized, was actually Brahms’ son.
Aside from the drama, Clara was a pioneering composer and performer whose concerts unfailingly sold out. She may have ghost-written some of the music attributed to Robert, as women did not publish music in those days.
“She was the Taylor Swift of the 1840s,” said Melanie Cain, Fresco Opera Theatre co-founder, artistic director and the show’s co-writer. Cain also plays Clara’s mother in the production.
The Cains and Jeff Turk, Fresco’s board president, used the experimental biography Trio as source material. The book’s author, Boman Desai, is a native of Mumbai, and is now based in Chicago. Desai will speak before each performance of Clara.
Clara is not an actual opera, but rather a play told with music. It follows the unconventional tradition of other Fresco Opera Theatre productions, such as The Real Housewives of Dane County and Opera Smackdown. It unfolds through the perspective of a female historian and to the sound of all three composers’ music played by a female pianist.
“We have a lot of girl power going on with this show,” says Melanie Cain.
Clara showcases the German song style lieder, sing-along tunes played on home pianos during the era of the story. The play also integrates modern elements into a period piece through projections and multi-layered visual effects.
After Robert’s death, Clara poured herself into promoting his music. She left her family at home to tour Europe in a time when few women even performed publicly. Clara was also the first to play Brahms’ music in concert. Brahms eventually moved into the family home to help raise the Schumann brood.
“Clara Schumann was this amazing musical force in the 1800s; she was just born at the wrong time,” says Frank Cain. “Without Clara, I would argue there would be no Brahms and no (Robert) Schumann.”
Clara will be performed April 1-3 at Overture Center’s Promenade Hall. More information is available at FrescoOperaTheatre.com.
