Jacques Bank in Schumann & Son, The weight of a name
He bears the surname of the famous father he never knew. His equally famous mother makes tour after tour as a concert pianist. Staggering under that burden, he seeks his way, as a musician, as a poet. How will you ever conquer your own place in history? If such footprints have gone before you, what can you yourself leave the world? All too easily you slip, incur gambling debts, break off your studies, ruin your health.
She is worried about her Benjamin. Does he have the strength to become a violinist? Is his poetry worthy of the Schumann name? How can she save him from the curse of mediocrity?
When Felix Schumann – named after Mendelssohn, Brahms’ godson – at the age of 24 foresees that tuberculosis will kill him, he begs his mother to come home. But she’s not there, at his last fight. He dies in the arms of his eldest sister.
Actor Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen gives shape to Felix Schumann, in search of the future he never had. With the choir as dynamic opponent, he takes the viewer on his journey. The staging leads through music that marks his fate: songs composed by his mother when she was young; the work Felix und Clara (2005) by Jacques Bank and finally three of his own poems, set to music by Johannes Brahms.
Over generations, director Mart van Berckel (27) and lyricist Sophie Kassies (63) reach out to bring Felix Schumann to life.
Because even the lightest footprint weighs.
- Composer(s): Jacques Bank
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Title(s) of the Work(s):
Felix und Clara (for choir and string quartet)
- Performer, Ensemble or Orchestra: Consensus Vocalis under Béni Csillag, Belinfante Quartet, text: Sophie Kassies, Actor: Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen
Date
- Oct 16 2022
- Expired!
Time
- 15:00 - 17:00
