SCHUMANN, CLARA (1819–1896)

Jean-Pierre Armengaud is considered a leading interpreter of French music and a specialist in impressionist and expressionist repertoire, and is renowned for his ‘fluidly supple playing, his round and mellow tone’ (Classica). He has recorded several complete collections, of piano music by Debussy, Satie, Roussel, Poulenc, Dutilleux and Denisov. Armengaud has appeared in major concert halls around the world, performing in over 40 countries. His albums for Naxos and Grand Piano feature music by Debussy, Roussel, Poulenc, Aubert, d’Indy and others, and he has a particular interest in Henri Dutilleux. He has been director for musical programming at Radio France and is associate professor at the ParisSorbonne University and professor emeritus at the University of Évry Val d’Essonne at Paris-Saclay University.

The daughter of Friedrich Wieck, her teacher and mentor until her marriage with Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann had embarked on a successful career as a pianist before her liaison with Schumann, leading to their marriage in 1840. She continued her international career as a performer and supported her young family after her husband’s final insanity and death in 1856. She was helped after this by Brahms, to whom Schumann had given considerable encouragement.