Schumann's Paradise
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- What you'll hear
- All about the music
Elegant. Vivid. Bring tissues.
Who’s on stage
Our own Royal Northern Sinfonia orchestra and chorus (fancy word for choir), plus five solo singers.
What they’re playing
Just one piece, ‘Paradise and the Peri’, which is split into three parts. It was the first bit of music Schumann wrote that needed singers as well as musicians.
We would like to dedicate this concert to Tony Pender, who was the first Chair of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and he helped create our building. He died in November 2023 and family and friends are gathering at this concert to celebrate his memory.
Need to know
Price: £17 – £43
Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.
Discounts: Save if you’re local, unemployed, a first timer.
Age: Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
Concert programme: download your free programme now. There’s also a text and translation sheet so you’ll know what they’re singing about.
What you'll hear
Robert Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri (99′)
Who's playing
Dinis Sousa conductor
Louise Alder soprano
Marie-Sophie Pollak soprano*
Adèle Charvet mezzo-soprano
Laurence Kilsby tenor
Matthew Brook baritone
Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
Tim Burke chorus director
Royal Northern Sinfonia
* Marie-Sophie Pollak replaces Madison Nonoa, due to illness. We wish Madison a speedy recovery and thank Marie-Sophie for stepping in at short notice.
What's happening in the music
“The story of this song follows a Persian mythological creature called Peri, who is sent away from Paradise. If she wants to be allowed to come back she has to find a present for the gods. So she travels across the world – Egypt, Syria, India – and the music paints some of these places really evocatively.
It’s a journey of redemption so it has many reflective and tender moments, as well as some incredibly dramatic ones (there are even battle scenes). The music flows so gracefully with some beautiful harmonies and melodies taking unexpected turns. I absolutely love it.”
Dinis Sousa, Royal Northern Sinfonia’s conductor
Talk about a side hustle
Creating music takes non-stop focus, right? Days alone in a dark room? Zero distractions? Nope. Schumann had a full-time job as a teacher (plus he’d just got married and had two small children) when he wrote this song. Sure, it took him a few months. But it’s a pretty great advert for what you can do in your spare time.
Spot the Schumann
Like the sound of this dramatic, hardworking Austrian? His music (and his wife Clara’s) pop up in five other concerts this year – so keep your eye out.
