Hélène Grimaud: A Letter to Clara

Few musical love stories have had quite as rich and enduring a legacy as the courtship and marriage of Robert and Clara Schumann. In this documentary by the Munich-born director Benedict Mirow, Hélène Grimaud explores their shared lives through the music they created, with specially recorded performances in which she is joined by conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, oboist Albrecht Mayer, cellist Truls Mørk, mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter and the Staatskapelle Dresden. Created in 2006 to mark the 150th anniversary of Robert Schumann’s death, it’s a treasury of musical and biographical insight as well as music by Brahms and both Schumans, performed by some of their most devoted interpreters.

Soloists: 

Hélène Grimaud (Piano), Albrecht Mayer (Oboe), Truls Mørk (Cello), Anne Sofie von Otter (Mezzo-Soprano)

Ensembles: 

Chorus of the Sächsische Staatsoper, Dresden, SWF Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden

Conductors: 

Michael Gielen, Esa-Pekka Salonen