Schumann "poet of sound" - Author and actress

The theatre project Schumann "poet of sound” is a musical-dramatic reconstruction of the last few hours of the composer’s life which he spent in Endenich sanatorium, which he entered of his own free will, and his very last encounter with his beloved wife Clara, a pianist and composer in her own right. That event serves as a revealing motive of the Schumann’s inner world illuminating his great love for Clara who was the greatest if not the only inspiration of his piano opus. Schumann’s mental condition is just an outward symbol of his tragedy. Nightmares, dreams, visions, his identification with literary characters (Manfred, Faust, Kreisler, of course Florestan and Eusibius) become the only content of his reality. Robert is torn between his longing for Clara, who comes to him as an apparition reviving his poetical intimate world of sound (through his unique piano music interpreting), and painful, demoniac hallucinations exhausting what is left of his life.

"Struggle against his true nature must have caused him great suffering, and it has stained even his most beautiful pages with the blood that has flowed from the open wound."

Franc Liszt

 

Although written in the style of fiction, the text of the play fully relies on the biographical data, music, essays, literal influences and private correspondence between Clara and Robert Schumann. Atmosphere of this musical-drama is inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann, a unique romantic movement writer and artist, who had a great influence on Robert Schumann. The author’s intent was to try and disclose the sources, motives and inspirations and thus offer a different approach to Schumann’s music.

"Schumann’s music goes farther than the ear, it goes into the body, in the muscles by the beats of its rhythm, and somehow into the viscera by the voluptuous pleasure of it’s melos as if on each occasion the piece was written only for one person, the one who plays it."

Roland Barthes

Director: Goran Šušljik

Stage design: Dušan Dečermić

Writer: Irina Dečermić

Music: Robert Schumann

Cast: Irina Dečermić, Goran Šušljik

Light design: Goran Šušljik

"With her ethereal appearance, way of speaking, Irina Dečermić masterly created that sublime, distinct, mystical setting of a story of creation, love, devotion, frustration, madness and death."

"Her playing is even more admirable considering multiple tasks she was performing on stage in continuity (playing and acting)."

Ivan Medenica, Vreme