Krannert Center Events: 2025-2026 Season

Ian Hobson, music director & conductor
Ian Hobson, piano

Sinfonia da Camera's season premiere delves into the legendary love triangle among three of the Romantic era's most celebrated figures: Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Clara Schumann. While Robert and Clara shared a close and creatively rich marriage, Brahms' deep bond with both often gave rise to emotional complexities-particularly in his enduring, and possibly romantic, affection for Clara. Opening the concert is Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, orchestrated by Robin Holloway, where Brahms weaves subtle references to Schumann's style in a deeply personal tribute. Next, Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54, will be performed by maestro Ian Hobson conducting from the piano. This beloved Romantic masterpiece combines lyrical elegance with virtuosic brilliance, and its tender interplay between soloist and orchestra has long been interpreted as a musical portrait of Clara herself. The concert concludes with Brahms' monumental Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, a work decades in the making and often dubbed "Beethoven's Tenth" for its architectural grandeur and dramatic scope.

Program:

Brahms, Johannes: Variation on a Theme by Robert Schumann
Schumann, Robert: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Brahms, Johannes: Symphony No. 1 in C minor

Saturday October 18th, 2025 at 7:30pm in the Foellinger Great Hall

See the Krannert Center website for more details and to purchase tickets.