The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents its third Masterworks concert of the season Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Miller Auditorium, featuring a world premiere and works exploring the complex relationships among Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms.
Music Director Julian Kuerti tells Cara Lieurance that the program examines "the complicated and wonderful relationship" between the three composers, who lived together for a period when the Schumanns invited the young Brahms into their household.
The concert opens with the world premiere of Eunoia by composer Kennedy Lee, commissioned specifically for this program. Kuerti says Lee was asked to reflect on Clara Schumann's multifaceted life as performer, composer, wife, mother, and caregiver. The piece incorporates elements from Clara's own Opus 10 Scherzo.
Pianist Avery Gagliano will perform Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor. The 2021 Chopin Competition participant, who now studies with legendary pianist András Schiff in Germany, describes the concerto as "very heartfelt and tender" with singing lyrical lines at its core. Kuerti notes that Clara Schumann urged her husband to write this deeply personal work, which serves as "a testament of the love" between them.
The program concludes with Brahms' Symphony No. 1 in C minor, which Kuerti calls "an incredibly momentous work" that took the composer 20 years to complete. Brahms famously sent Clara a postcard featuring the symphony's Alphorn theme as an apology after a significant break in their friendship.
Lee will participate in both the 6:30 p.m. pre-concert talk and post-concert discussion in the Grand Tier lobby. Tickets and more information are available at the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra website.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
