Jakub Hrůša conducts Wagner, Brahms and Schumann by Wagner, Brahms, Schumann, Sat 20 Apr 2024, From (2024/2024), Conductor Jakub Hrůša, Konzerthalle, Bamberg, Germany

»Two souls dwell, alas! in my heart« – Schumann knew only too well this dilemma described by Goethe in »Faust«: in his life, highs and lows, creative rushes and crises continually alternated. When he composed his piano concerto in 1845, he was living with his family in Dresden – where, however, he hardly played a role next to Wagner. And so the sounds of this touching work tell of his suffering and longings. Immortalised in the notes is his beloved wife Clara, who thought of it: »How rich in invention, how intriguing from the beginning to the end.« We look forward to the interpretations of Lukáš Vondráček and Hélène Grimaud – who is often described as a musical philosopher. The fact that Clara and Brahms were one heart and soul must have been a thorn in Schumann‘s side. Even after his tragic demise, the two of them remained close and consulted each other on artistic matters. After Brahms completed his elaborate third symphony in the summer of 1883 in the Wiesbaden region, Clara raved about its »mysterious spell«: »What poetry, the most harmonious mood throughout it all, the movements all as if from one mould, a heartbeat, each movement a gem!« Two Wagner pieces full of deep psychological tensions will serve as a frame of reference for us: The stage-saga about the swan knight Lohengrin, first performed in 1850, takes us into an environment detached from the hustle and bustle of the world – but into which reality crashes bitterly. The Tannhäuser opera of 1845 revolves around an outsider: he is torn between sinful passion and the desire for godly love – and only finds redemption in death, according to Wagner with the reconciliation of the elements: »Spirit and senses, God and nature embrace in the holy and uniting kiss of love.«