Spirit and the Maiden concert

Outside Insight concert series
In this programme we explore musical gems by women composers from the 19th Century to the present day.

In an era when women hardly ever performed in public, or composed, Clara Schumann did both. A virtuoso pianist and interpreter of her husband’s work even at an early age, we hear her Piano Trio of 1846, written when she was 27 and pregnant with her 4th child. It has been called the ‘masterpiece’ amongst her compositions.

We also hear works by the Boulanger sisters, who made an extraordinary impact on French musical life. Lili was the first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1913 and Nadia became one the of most influential musical teachers of the 20th Century, with students such as Aaron Copland, Lennox Berkely, Phillip Glass and Astor Piazzolla.

Rebecca Clarke’s impressionistic Sonata for Viola and Piano brings us to the 21st Century where we listen to the sound of Pale Yellow and hear the story of the Russian folktale-inspired The Spirit and the Maiden.

Refreshments available from 7pm and during the interval.

Programme

Clara Schumann Piano TrioLili Boulanger Two Pieces for Violin and Piano

Nadia Boulanger Three Pieces for Cello and Piano

Elena Kats-Chernin The Spirit and the Maiden Piano Trio

Jennifer Higdon Pale Yellow for Piano Trio

Rebecca Clarke Sonata for Viola and Piano