One biography, two perspectives

A lot of respect for a composer of classical music, dozens of young people and a university: the music theatre project "#Clara S." shows that this mixture can work very well.

"I can't think of a stronger person," says Dr Cornelia Bartsch about the composer Clara Schumann. Bartsch, who currently holds the professorship for Cultural History at the Institute of Music, is one of the initiators of the music theatre project "#Clara S.". In co-operation with the university and the Oldenburg State Theatre, year 12 pupils from the Kreyenbrück Integrated Comprehensive School are currently adapting Schumann's biography for the stage. The occasion is Schumann's birthday, which will be 200 years old in 2019.

The composer's life offers plenty of material for a piece of musical theatre: Schumann was considered a musical prodigy at an early age. Together with her husband, the composer Robert Schumann, she had eight children, most of whom she raised alone - Robert fell seriously ill and eventually died at the age of 46, forty years before his wife. Experts are of the opinion that Clara's abilities as a pianist clearly outshone those of her husband. She also achieved recognition as a composer. It was clear to Bartsch that she wanted to take part in the project that Michael Hagemeister from the cultural management office meister:kultur had initiated. "A sick husband, a large family and a society in which women were not expected to earn a living - Clara had to cope with all of this. And yet she managed to go her own way. I find that deeply impressive," she says.

In a rehearsal room at the university, two students are working on a scene in which Clara's controlling father becomes violent during a violin lesson. Two weeks to go until the premiere. It is midday, tiredness is in the air. Thea Reutepöhler, a student teacher, is sitting next to theatre teacher Stefanie Becker, who is directing the play. She is busily taking notes and the two of them confer briefly every now and then. Reutepöhler supports Becker as assistant director in the conception of the play and works together with the pupils on the scenes and during rehearsals. She is studying music and maths to become a secondary school teacher and has already learnt a lot about working with young people in the project. She doesn't find it difficult to put her admiration for the composer into words either. "I find it very exciting what she achieved as a woman at that time and the impact her music still has today," she says.

Still images and seminar papers

The students have been studying the composer since last summer semester. Bartsch and her colleague Christiane Abt offered musicological and practical music seminars, the results of which the pupils at IGS Kreyenbrück later used to develop scenes and pieces of music for the stage. The students themselves slipped into different roles for the research. "I really enjoy using theatre pedagogical practices in my seminars," explains Bartsch. In addition to the classic text work, the students acted out scenes from Schumann's biography or developed still images that emphasised the relationships between the various characters. Bartsch appreciates discovering new levels of the material in this way. The result is often more sustainable than pure text work. "In my opinion, this kind of approach even has a positive effect on the seminar papers that the students submit at the end of the seminar," she says.

Like Reutepöhler, the students now have various roles in the production of the musical theatre piece, for example as vocal coaches or in editing the programme booklet. The pupils, in turn, are responsible for acting and making music. Since the beginning of the school year, they have been rehearsing for this in the subject "Performing Arts" and in music lessons.

Young adults and classical music

While the students and year 12 pupils normally work separately on their tasks, they exchange their results at workshop weekends. This is where different perspectives come together: students who have researched Schumann's biography and pupils who incorporate their own perspective into their playing. Bartsch is fascinated by this process: "We have brought Schumann's biography and our view of things into the school. Now we can see on stage how the pupils tell the story back to us in their own way." For Bartsch, one of the highlights of the project is introducing young people to classical music. "The young people have told us how boring they thought classical music was at first, but are now interested in it. And I think that's great," she says.

Meanwhile, Reutepöhler continues to practise with the pupils, repeating the scene several times. The pupil playing Clara's brother Alwin's arms begin to ache from the imaginary violin playing. The young adults, the director and Reutepöhler give each other suggestions for the scene. Reutepöhler makes another note on her notepad. She likes this kind of approach: "I find it exciting to work so creatively with historical material and to find out how a scientific topic can be communicated in different ways. As a future teacher, I benefit a lot from this." Nevertheless, the wide variety of tasks also presents her with a major challenge. "I've learnt a lot about time management," she says. "In addition to my other subject, my "normal" life and my four bands, I have to navigate well to juggle all my tasks."

"#Clara S." will be performed on 9 and 10 November in the university auditorium (Haarentor campus, building A11, Ammerländer Heerstraße 69). The performance on 9 November starts at 7.30 pm, on Sunday at 5 pm. Tickets cost 8 euros at the box office, concessions 5 euros. At the performance on 10 November, the music education prize awarded to the project will also be presented. It is awarded by the Musikland Niedersachsen gGmbH and the Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung.