The Goethe Institut, in collaboration with the University of Santo Tomas through the UST Office of Public Affairs and UST Conservatory of Music, celebrated the 200th birth anniversary of musician Clara Schumann through a concert, held on October 16, 2019 at the UST Museum Main Gallery.
Gracing the event were the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Philippines Her Excellency Anke Reiffenstuel and Goethe Institut Philippinen Director Dr. Ulrich Nowak. The visitors were welcomed by UST Secretary-General Rev. Fr. Jesús M. Miranda, Jr., O.P., assisted by the Office of Public Affairs Director Assoc. Prof. Giovanna V. Fontanilla, Ph.D.
The concert, aside from featuring Schumann’s works, included German poetry and theatrical performances of important events in her life. German musicians Boris Schönleber (piano), Katharina Padrok (Mezzo-soprano), and Filipino performers Peter L. Porticos (actor) and Mary Patrice Pacis (actress), both from the UST Conservatory of Music, starred in the production.
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered as one of the most distinguished composers and pianists of the Romantic era. Over a 61-year concert career, she composed a body of work that included various piano concertos, chamber works, and choral pieces. She taught at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt and was one of the primary forces in reintroducing eighteenth-century keyboard music to the public.
Among Clara Schumann’s pieces that were performed during the concert were Mein Stern (My Star), Der Abendstern (The Evening Star), Romanze op. 21, Nr. 1 (Romance), and Der Mond kommt still gegangen op. 13, Nr. 4 (The moon rises silently).
Songs composed by Clara’s husband Robert Schumann, a distinguished pianist himself, were also played, namely, Er ist’s op. 79, Nr. 23 (Spring is Here), Widmung op. 25, Nr. 1 (Dedication), and Marienwürmchen op. 79, Nr. 14 (Ladybird).
Boris Schönleber and Katharina Padrok also performed in the Berlin and Bangkok edition of the same concert earlier this year. Manila is the last stop for this particular tour.
