- DURATION 60 mins
Event Description
Schumann's Song cycle 'Frauenliebe und leben' The life and love of a woman (1840) and Clara Schumann's 'Liebst du um Schönheit' If you love me for my beauty... (1841) performed and presented by Serenna Wagner, Mezzo Soprano
This lecture recital, given by Serenna Wagner, features a complete performance of Schumann's famous song cycle - sung in the original German with English subtitles. Serenna will introduce the concert and give us an insight into the world of the Schumanns, whose passionate love affair and hard-won battle to be married is one of classical music's most famous love stories. Clara's father, who had been Robert's teacher, vehemently opposed the marriage and it wasn't until 1840 - 10 years after they had first fallen in love - before a court ruling made it possible for them to marry. 'Frauenliebe und leben' was completed during this first year of marriage and the song we will hear by Clara Schumann - 'Liebst du um Schönheit' was written shortly afterwards as present for Robert's Birthday.
- Duration: 60 mins
- Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
Meet the Host, Serenna Wagner & Chris Gill
Serenna Wagner
Serenna Wagner studied singing at the Royal Northern College of Music where she graduated with Distinctions in her Postgraduate Diploma and Master of Music in Performance vocal courses. She subsequently trained on the ENO Opera Works programme for young artists, after which she appeared in English National Opera’s productions of Carmen, The Damnation of Faust, Madam Butterfly, The Magic Flute, Fidelio and The Flying Dutchman. Her operatic roles include Carmen, Suzuki, Magdalena and Dido for Heritage Opera, Second Lady for Opera by Definition, Mother Hansel and Gretel; Mother Amahl and the Night Visitors for Opera Anywhere; Dorabella with Flatpack Music; Ruth for Workbox Opera and Third Lady for Oxford Opera. She sang the title role in the UK professional première of Halka in Polish and has created the roles of Fanny Price and Paulina in the world premières of Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park and Alan E. Williams’ The Arsonists with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, both for Heritage Opera. Serenna has appeared on the concert platform in the UK and in France as a soloist in all the major oratoria including Elijah, Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C Minor; Rossini and Pergolesi’s Stabat Maters and Beethoven’s Mass in C. Concert highlights have included the role of Gypsy Girl in performances of The Diary of One who Vanished under Ed Gardner at The Bridgwater Hall and an appearance with James Gilchrist and The English Baroque Soloists in Stravinsky’s Cantata subsequently broadcast on Radio 3.
Chris Gill
Chris Gill has over twenty-five years’ experience as a music teacher, conductor, composer and writer. He has conducted over 200 performances with orchestras, choirs and opera companies throughout the UK, including Heritage Opera, a professional touring company he founded in 2006. His music textbooks, including Harmonising Bach Chorales, The A Level Music Study Guide and Let's Get Musical, a music course for 11- to 16-year-olds, reflect his engaging and inclusive approach. Chris has also written and composed GRRRLZ, a critically-acclaimed musical comedy about female empowerment in the late 1960s, which was first performed in Oxford and London in late 2021.
Chris' qualifications include a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the University of Birmingham, a Postgraduate Certificate of Education from University College Worcester, and a Master's degree in Learning and Teaching from the University of Oxford. Chris has worked as a Deputy Head, Director of Music and Musical Director.
More Information
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