Clara Schumann was a giant in the world of music in the 1800s. Strong in personality, technically proficient and musically brilliant as both a pianist and composer, in her 76 years she changed the face of concerts throughout Europe. Sadly, in our modern world she is mostly known for being the child of Friedrich Wieck – a very good pianist in his own right who forced her to become a musical prodigy – and for marrying Robert Schumann, Wieck’s student and widely considered to be one of the greatest composers of the Romantic Era. However, in recent years, people have started to acknowledge not only the scale of her influence but also the brilliance of her compositions. Through her performances, which were largely played from memory, and her teaching style, which emphasised expression and a singing tone, she directly influenced many of the pianists we love today.

Fellow Australians and long-time collaborators Zoe Knighton and Amir Farid have put the two Schumanns back together with a celebration of the couple’s short works for cello. The album includes Clara’s Six Lieder, her three settings from 12 Poems from Rückert’s ‘Liebesfrühling’ (‘Love Spring’), and Six Songs from ‘Jucunde’ by Hermann Rollett. From Robert, there are the Six Fantasy Pieces and Five Pieces in Folk Style. The colours and shapes evoked by Farid and Knighton are stunning, with soulful moments interspersed with more jovial emotions. This record contains so many pieces, with a plethora of musical ideas packed into tight little works. While this would be considered sacrilege to many people, I found myself putting the album on shuffle to listen to the changes in compositional style. This was when I really felt like I was diving deeply into the music, connecting all the colours and harmonies that reach across from Clara to Robert. I’m not sure that the Schumanns would have ever been able to comprehend the idea of ‘shuffle’, but I’d like to think that as they supported each other through their music they wouldn’t disapprove.

Kate Rockstrom is a friend of Readings.