Bernarda Fink - Roger Vignoles

'Frauenliebe und -leben' is one of the most magnificent of Robert Schumann's song cycles. The composer wrote the cycle in 1840, his 'year of songs', which also was the year, when Clara's father gave up his resistance against his daughter's marriage with Robert. The biographical circumstances should not be passed over, when listening to Schumann's songs: they tell the story of marriage and describe love as a man might think that a woman may like to hear. Next to his joy over his marriage, Schumann also feels some remorse: he has deprived a father of his daughter, he fears to fall short in love and perceives himself as "just" the husband of a successful pianist …Nevertheless, this cycle is an ode to passion and joy of love. In the eyes of Robert, the poems of Adalbert Chamisso contained perfect descriptions of his wife's sensitivities and sharp edges. The Argentinean mezzo-soprano, Bernada Fink will complete this evening with Spanish love songs by Enrique Granados, Joaquín Rodrigo, and Joaquín Nin, excellently recorded in 2000 in collaboration with pianist Roger Vignoles.