The Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 7, is Clara Schumann’s sole completed piano concerto, with the Second Piano Concerto, Op. 18, remaining unfinished at her death. Written by a teenaged Clara Wieck (before she married and became Clara Schumann), this youthful work highlights the dynamism and technical excellence of one of the greatest piano prodigies of her era. The concerto’s three movements, played without interruption, blend virtuosity, lyricism, and quiet audacity, notably in the second movement Romanze, in which the piano enters into dialogue with solo cello. Premiered by Clara herself in 1835 at the Gewandhaus Leipzig under the baton of Felix Mendelssohn, this work represents the composer’s exceptional talent and the revolutionary sense of freedom she won through her music. It also offers a precious insight into the musical universe of one of the great figures of German Romanticism.
Discover Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 7, on medici.tv!
The Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 7 is the sole concerto written by German pianist and composer Clara Schumann, also known as Clara Wieck. Composed between the ages of 14 and 16, this youthful work highlights the dynamism and technical excellence of one of the greatest piano prodigies of her era. Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor comprises three movements, played without interruption: an Allegro maestoso first movement, a second movement Romanze, in which the piano enters into dialogue with solo cello, and a spirited Allegro non troppo final movement. This continuity between the movements was rare in Clara’s time and demonstrates her willingness to break from conventional musical models. The concerto was premiered on November 9, 1835 at the Gewandhaus Leipzig, with Clara Wieck herself at the piano, under the direction of none other than composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Clara Wieck, piano prodigy born and raised for the spotlight
Born in Leipzig in 1819, Clara Wieck grew up under the thumb of her father, Friedrich Wieck, a strict pianist and teacher who put her through a rigorous piano training schedule as a child. Clara gave her first public concert when she was still young, and quickly became recognized as a virtuoso throughout Europe. It was when she was touring as a soloist that the idea for her Piano Concerto in A minor was born, the early stages of which date back to 1833 when the young Robert Schumann, then a student of her father’s and already close to Clara, orchestrated the Konzertsatz that would later become the concerto’s final movement. Clara once again took over the orchestration of the work and completed the final, three-movement version on September 1, 1835, just a few days after her sixteenth birthday. The score was published in 1837, dedicated to violinist and composer Louis Spohr. Much later, after she had become an accomplished interpreter of her husband’s music, Clara Schumann would look back on this work from her youth with a modest outlook, admitting to her husband Robert that she had only performed it because her audiences loved it so much
Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor on medici.tv
medici.tv is the ideal platform on which to (re)discover Clara Schumann’s stunning works that have been overshadowed for decades by those of her husband Robert, despite Clara being one of the greatest pianists of her time. In our on-demand classical music video catalogue — the biggest of its kind in the world — you will find concerts dedicated to this too-rarely performed composer, including excellent renditions of her Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 7, which has recently regained interest from renowned orchestras and soloists across the globe. On this page, we have compiled performances of this youthful masterpiece that are available now on medici.tv, allowing you to appreciate Clara’s artistic sensitivity and boundless talent. Plus, explore her repertoire even further with our playlist dedicated to Women Composers of the Romantic Era!