Guildhall School’s Alumni Recital Series returns with Beloved Clara and Guitar Spectacular

The series opens on Sunday 17 November with award-winning pianist Lucy Parham who presents Beloved Clara: a concert to commemorate the bicentenary of Clara Schumann. The narrative tells the compelling and tragic story of the passionate yet volatile relationship between Robert Schumann, his pianist wife Clara Wieck and Johannes Brahms. Parham, who is internationally known for her Composer Portrait series, performs music by all three composers, interspersed with extracts from their letters and diaries read by acclaimed actors and fellow Guildhall School alumni Lesley Sharp and Simon Russell Beale. Lucy Parham studied under Guildhall Professor Joan Havill from the age of 16 and has gone on to become one of Britain’s finest pianists, establishing herself in recent years as a leading interpreter of the works of Robert and Clara Schumann.

The series continues on Tuesday 19 November when audiences are offered the chance to enjoy performances by guitarists George Tarlton, Isabel Martínez, Francesco Scelzo and Marius Noss Gundersen in ‘Guitar Spectacular’, directed by Robert Brightmore. The concert celebrates the instrument with a varied programme of music, including works by Marco Pereira, Bryan Johanson, Sérgio Assad, Joaquín Rodrigo, Isaac Albéniz, Regino Sáinz de la Maza, Dizzy Gillespie and Roland Dyens.

Guildhall School’s annual Alumni Recital Series gives a platform to celebrated alumni to return to the School and perform on the Milton Court Concert Hall stage. Each year internationally renowned musicians perform as part of the series, with previous years welcoming the likes of artists including pianist Sa Chen, recorder ensemble The Flautadors and tenor Toby Spence. 

Tickets for Beloved Clara and Guitar Spectacular are available now.