Clara Schumann was very likely the most important pianist of her time. Her life – as a daughter, artist, wife, mother, carer, manager, and muse – was full of ups and downs, and she devoted it entirely to music. In a world dominated by men, she displayed a degree of independence and self-determination that was astonishing for a woman of her time.

Cathy Marston follows the path of this exceptional artist, and focuses on Clara and her divorced parents, her relationship with Robert Schumann, and her connection with Johannes Brahms in her ballet, which premiered in 2024. She tells of devotion and passion, inspiration and responsibility.

Clara

Zurich Opera House

"The Triadic Ballet" by Oskar Schlemmer - an epochal masterpiece of the "Golden Twenties"! In many parts of the western world, the economy was experiencing strong growth and a cultural heyday. It was a period of abundance, economic boom and technological progress: automobiles, railways, floating overseas colossi made the world appear increasingly mechanical and "dehumanized". Contemporaries were forced to ask themselves the question: in what form or style could a ballet be created that critically allegorizes this theme of booming modernity? The dancers Albert Burger and Elsa Hötzel - both soloists at the Royal Court Opera in Stuttgart - discussed their views and thoughts on this with the painter and stage designer Oskar Schlemmer, the pioneer of so-called "classical modernism". His avant-garde intention was to unite technology and art, man and civilization, and body and mind in his work. As a master at the State Bauhaus in Weimar, he initially headed the wall painting classes and workshops, and later the Bauhaus stage, which he significantly influenced. The result of the artistic compilation by Burger, Hötzel and Schlemmer was the so-called "Triadic Ballet", an experimental ballet méchanique of shapes, colors and movement. Schlemmer saw his "Triadic Ballet" as an artistic reaction to a world of machines. The name of the ballet is derived from the Greek word "trias" [τριάς] and illustrates the interaction of three concepts as a whole. In his design, Schlemmer concentrated on the basic shapes of sphere, circle and cuboid, as well as the three primary colors red, yellow and blue. To underline the dominance of the "machine world", the dancers' choreography was supposed to appear "mechanical"; ultimately, he envisioned the realization of the ballet completely without human involvement and he therefore favored mechanical puppets. As part of the Ekhof Festival 2025, a version of the "Triadic Ballet" will be performed as a marionette theater - a form that Oskar Schlemmer himself once planned. The legendary eighteen costumed figurines were constructed as string marionettes by the puppet designers Marianne and Kurt Erbe. In Christian Fuchs' production, they will be presented in the original colors from the Bauhaus era. They will be accompanied musically by star pianist Ragna Schirmer, who will virtuosically interpret the suite of piano pieces planned by Oskar Schlemmer. Music by Georg Friedrich Händel, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Marco Enrico Bossi and Claude Debussy will be played. Ragna Schirmer will play on a grand piano from 1856 from the "Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik" in Leipzig. 

Ragna Schirmer & “the Triadic Ballet”

Ekhof Theatre Gotha

"The Triadic Ballet" by Oskar Schlemmer - an epochal masterpiece of the "Golden Twenties"! In many parts of the western world, the economy was experiencing strong growth and a cultural heyday. It was a period of abundance, economic boom and technological progress: automobiles, railways, floating overseas colossi made the world appear increasingly mechanical and "dehumanized". Contemporaries were forced to ask themselves the question: in what form or style could a ballet be designed that critically allegorizes this theme of booming modernity? The dancers Albert Burger and Elsa Hötzel - both soloists at the Royal Court Opera in Stuttgart - discussed their views and thoughts on this with the painter and stage designer Oskar Schlemmer, the pioneer of so-called "classical modernism". His avant-garde intention was to unite technology and art, man and civilization, and body and mind in his work. As a master at the State Bauhaus in Weimar, he initially headed the wall painting classes and workshops, and later the Bauhaus stage, which he significantly influenced. The result of the artistic compilation by Burger, Hötzel and Schlemmer was the so-called "Triadic Ballet", an experimental ballet méchanique of shapes, colors and movement. Schlemmer saw his "Triadic Ballet" as an artistic reaction to a world of machines. The name of the ballet is derived from the Greek word "trias" [τριάς] and illustrates the interaction of three concepts as a whole. In his design, Schlemmer concentrated on the basic shapes of sphere, circle and cuboid, as well as the three primary colors red, yellow and blue. To underline the dominance of the "machine world", the dancers' choreography was supposed to appear "mechanical"; ultimately, he envisioned the realization of the ballet completely without human involvement and he therefore favored mechanical puppets. As part of the Ekhof Festival 2025, a version of the "Triadic Ballet" will be performed as a marionette theater - a form that Oskar Schlemmer himself once planned. The legendary eighteen costumed figurines were constructed as string marionettes by the puppet designers Marianne and Kurt Erbe. In Christian Fuchs' production, they will be presented in the original colors from the Bauhaus era. They will be accompanied musically by star pianist Ragna Schirmer, who will virtuosically interpret the suite of piano pieces planned by Oskar Schlemmer. Music by Georg Friedrich Händel, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Marco Enrico Bossi and Claude Debussy will be played. Ragna Schirmer will play on a grand piano from 1856 from the "Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik" in Leipzig. 

The relationship between Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms is one of the most fascinating triangular relationships in music history. It was characterized by deep friendship, profound artistic admiration, and emotional intimacy that—one might hope—always remained within the bounds of social conventions. Robert Schumann, the visionary composer and music writer, and Clara Schumann, the exceptional pianist and passionate interpreter of his works, had a marriage marked by intense musical collaboration, but also by Robert's recurring mental health crises. When the twenty-year-old Johannes Brahms entered the couple's lives in 1853—young, brimming with creative energy, and possessing a talent that Robert celebrated with ecstatic enthusiasm as opening up "new paths" in music—a particularly close bond developed between the three of them. Robert treated the young Brahms with fatherly affection, nurtured his talent, and recognized his extraordinary genius, while Clara saw him as a kindred spirit and intellectual companion. Whether a love ever developed between her and Brahms that transcended the boundaries of friendship remains uncertain—a shadowy, fascinating mystery that continues to surround music history.

Ragna Schirmer

Events

Upcoming events

25 - 26 Jun, 2026

ROBERT & CLARA SCHUMANN VS. JOHANNES BRAHMS – The Shadow of Love · Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach

Past events

Dec 13, 2025 - Apr 24, 2026

Clara · Opernhaus Zürich

14 - 15 Jun, 2025

Ragna Schirmer & “the Triadic Ballet” · Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach

Future and recently performed repertoire

Piano in Piano Concerto in A minor by Schumann

Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach

About

Ragna Schirmer hasn't added a bio