- 55 views
- 52 downloads
Eusebius and Florestan, Pierrot and Harlequin
-
- Author(s) / Creator(s)
-
This still from my video and article published in the University of Alberta Intonations Journal demonstrate Robert Schumann’s use of characterization in his music and present multiple perspectives by means of costume and the juxtaposition of musical lines. Drawing on the traits of Schumann’s own characters Florestan, Euesbius and Raro and on other personas such as Harlequin and Pierrot a mediation between vastly different aspects of personality is achieved in the audio-visual landscape of the piece. This echos Schumann’s own compositional practice as well as his personal struggle with mental health, a topic that is particularly relevant in terms of the strain caused by the isolation of the pandemic. The video itself is a product of isolation as pre-pandemic footage and photography has been combined to create a collective outward chamber music experience representing the internal world of dissonant multiple personalities. By exploring Schumann’s own internal world and compositional practices, what could be conceived of as a fourth movement to his first violin sonata emerges bringing together divergent character traits and reflecting the complexity that lies in the human psyche.
-
- Date created
- 2024-06-01
-
- Subjects / Keywords
-
- Type of Item
- Image