Dark Dreams—Lieder of Franz Schubert, Clara Schumann, & Robert Schumann

In this intimate and imaginative recital, soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon (“dazzling, virtuoso singing,” Boston Globe) and fortepianist Nicholas Mathew explore female figures on the boundaries of society, from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Mignon,” as seen through the eyes of Robert Schumann; to Franz Schubert’s monumental “Viola” (Blumenballade; D. 786) and “Vergissmeinnicht” (“Forget-me-not,” D. 792), which explore female sexuality and desire in utterly contrasting ways.Fitz Gibbon and Mathew will also present Clara Schumann’s Sechs Lieder, Op. 13; despite her lifelong reputation as a celebrity pianist, Clara’s modern-day fame has more often than not unjustly focused on her role as Robert’s champion, rather than for her considerable compositional talents.This concert will be presented on a replica of an 1820 Viennese piano by Conrad Graf, whose instruments were favored by all three composers.