Schumann
Bertagnolli, Stella

Gemma Bertagnolli, soprano
Alessandro Stella, piano

R. Schumann (1810-1856)

Frauenliebe und Leben op. 42

25’ | Admission €10

The Teatro Sociale di Mantova, on the occasion of Trame Sonore, is transformed into an experimental space in which the traditional separation between stage and audience is overcome, offering the public a direct proximity to the musical act. Within this context, a programme dedicated to Robert Schumann and the song cycle Frauenliebe und Leben takes shape, one of the pinnacles of his lieder production. The performers are soprano Gemma Bertagnolli and pianist Alessandro Stella, artists with solid chamber music experience and close artistic collaboration — and great friends of our Festival.

The year 1840, Schumann’s “year of song,” marks a period of extraordinary creative fertility, closely linked to his relationship with Clara Wieck. In this atmosphere, Frauenliebe und Leben was born: an eight-song cycle that traces the different stages of a woman’s life, from falling in love to marriage and finally loss. Schumann thus transforms private experience into a universal narrative, supported by a highly refined piano writing capable of reflecting and amplifying every emotional nuance of the voice.

Text curated by Desirée Blundi