The Kaimerata chamber musicians invite you to get lost in the music of the composer Robert Schumann, presented by the Oceanside Classical Concerts Society (OCCS).
The music of Schumann will be the focus of two upcoming and unique concerts at Knox United Church (345 Pym St.) in Parksville on Aug. 14 and Aug. 15.
Kaimerata is a chamber group formed over a decade ago in Barcelona by internationally acclaimed classical musicians Kai Gleusteen, Canadian violinist and French pianist Catherine Ordronneau.
“The idea was I choose one composer every year, so that not only we as performers can dive deeper into the language, into the works, into the composer’s life,” said Gleusteen. “Not only his famous ones but also his less famous ones.”
Gleusteen, originally from Calgary, spends half the year in Spain as the Barcelona Opera Orchestra’s concert master and the other half touring, including stops on Denman Island where his parents reside.
He and Ordronneau have been working and performing together for 25 years, travelling most of the globe with their music, according to a news release by the OCCS. They will be joined by cellist Beth Root Sandvoss, violist Dan Scholz and violinist Paule Préfontaine.
Gleusteen said he put off a Schumann-themed series for many years because although beautiful, the 19th Century Romantic composer’s works are emotionally charged, making them quite the challenge for musicians to interpret.
“There’s so much that he’s trying to say in a little time that you can get a little bit lost,” Gleusteen said. “And you worry that the audience will also get lost.”
But over the past year of playing Schumann in Barcelona, Gleusteen said he found getting lost is part of the Romanticism that comes with playing music where new themes pop up when least expected.
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Many of Schumann’s works were dedicated to his wife Clara Wieck, a talented pianist and composer in her own right who performed her own pieces, as well as her husband’s. The love story of Robert and Clara is told through his compositions, Gleusteen added.
“They lived for many years in really beautiful harmony, exchanging diaries and all this is actually in print with beautiful letters they wrote to one another,” he said.
The Aug. 14 concert is titled “For the Love of Clara”, while on Aug. 15, listeners will be treated to “Angels and Demons”.
Both will be presented in a casual and friendly fashion with anecdotes of the composer’s life and explanations of the works to be heard, according to the OCCS release.
Gleusteen believes the more the public learns about a composer, the more they will appreciate the music.
Kaimerata will perform well-known pieces such as the Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, in addition to hidden gems like Schumann’s string quartet and excerpts from his violin sonata.
Schumann was affected by a mental condition, drawing speculation that he may have suffered from bipolar disorder or was poisoned by mercury. Nobody can say for sure what ailed him, but Schumann’s later life was tragic and after an attempt at suicide, he spent the rest of his life in an asylum.
“Poor Schumann had visions already quite young,” said Gleusteen. “Many see in his music sometimes, this kind of delirious side. Something that’s not quite right, not quite balanced.”
He seriously injured his hand as a young man, likely in practising compulsively — trying to extend his hand to reach a certain position on the piano.
After this incident he put all his creative energies into composing and over his career he wrote more than 150 pieces, part of the reason he is considered the epitome of the Romantic era.
Tickets are $30 for adults ($50 for a two-concert pass) and $15 for students ($30 for a two-concert pass).
They are available online at the Kaimerata website, the McMillan Arts Centre (MAC) website, or in person at the MAC (133 McMillan St.) in Parksville. Both concerts start at 7 p.m.
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