Harmony in Love: A Cheeky Look at ‘Love Letters’ by Christian-Pierre La Marca
Ah, music. That universal language that can make us feel like dancing in the streets or curling up in a ball on the bathroom floor. And here we have Christian-Pierre La Marca, a cellist who isn’t just content to strum his cello like a glorified ukulele. No, he’s decided to create an entire program around Robert Schumann’s illustrious Concerto in A minor. Talk about a musical journey! A bit like if Indiana Jones had taken a wrong turn and ended up in a conservatory instead of a temple, but let’s roll with it.
A Declaration of Love to Robert Schumann
Now, if you’ve been living under a rock or hiding in a soundproof room, you might’ve missed the release of Love Letters on October 25 by Naïve. La Marca has an ardor for Schumann’s music that could put a romantic comedy to shame. He boldly claims, “It’s perhaps one of the music I love most in the world because it’s sincere music…” I mean, sincerity in music? What’s next, actually listening to someone’s mixtape without judging their lack of taste in music?
He argues that Schumann’s music, often sidelined as a bit too complex, is in fact dripping with emotional nectar: a perfect blend of inner song and outer expression. Note that La Marca possesses the humility of a deity, offering us mortals the chance to glimpse what true musical enlightenment looks like.
The Cello Concerto: A Final Love Letter
Recorded with the Philharmonia Orchestra, this Cello Concerto in A minor is no mere trifle; it’s “considered a true Holy Grail for cellists”. Schumann wrote it in 1850, presumably after finishing a robust session of love letters to his wife, Clara. If you’re wondering whether this makes the concerto a kind of 19th-century love note, you’re absolutely right. It’s that moment when you realize being a composer involved both sweeping romantic gestures and trying to fit ornate musical flourishes into the score before dinner!
Time for Love: A Forgotten Art
Ah, the romantic correspondence between Clara and Robert. It’s hard to imagine in today’s fast-paced, emoji-laden world, where “text me later” could replace “my dearest Clara, how I long for your presence”. La Marca hits the nail on the head, noting that we’ve become a bit impatient in our expressions of love. Who needs a sonnet when you can just send a GIF? Well, folks, brace yourselves because this album feels like a reminder that real love—like good cheese—takes time to mature.
Bridging Tradition and Modernity
La Marca isn’t just sticking to the historical trust fund. Oh no! He’s gone and invited modern composers to the party. By commissioning contemporary works, he’s effectively building a bridge between romanticism and today’s urgency, as if trying to convince us that love isn’t just a “swipe right” after a cocktail at the pub. He’s engaging with composers like Michelle Ross and Fabien Waksman to explore how their expressions reflect similar themes of affection in our times. You’ve got to appreciate a cellist who recognizes that love, much like a fine wine, can only get better with time, or sometimes, fewer followers on Instagram.
With concerts lined up in Brussels and beyond, La Marca is sure to charm audiences everywhere, making you long for the days when love letters didn’t come with auto-correct. So, if you’re in the vicinity, grab a ticket and witness a master at work—because if there’s one thing more entertaining than the awkwardness of attempting to express feelings in music, it’s watching someone absolutely nail it!
A Final Note
Sharing love through sound is not just a notion, but a mission—one that La Marca has taken to heart, and it’s this spirit that brings new life to Schumann’s timeless pieces. As the curtain rises and his bow meets the strings, one can only hope that this “Love Letters” isn’t just the start of a romantic serenade but an invitation for all of us to ponder our very own musical journeys.
Love Letters – A tribute to Clara and Robert Schumann, published by Naïve on October 25, 2024.
If some cellists are content to simply record the famous Concerto in A minor by Schumann, Christian-Pierre La Marca prefers to imagine an entire program around this work. It offers us a musical journey through the intimate correspondence of Clara and Robert Schumann, but also what it inspired in today’s composers.
A declaration of love to Robert Schumann
Released on October 25 by Naïve, Love Letters is above all a true declaration of love from the cellist to the music of Robert Schumann: “It’s perhaps one of the music I love most in the world because it’s sincere music. It is sometimes said that she is perhaps a little less accessible than other composers, which I find difficult to understand because she is one of the greatest geniuses in the history of music. I always have the impression that he is singing and at the same time saying something. We find both the notion of inner song and the verb, so it is a double mission as a performer. There is an ambivalence between the intimate and the exuberant in his music“, he explains.
Classical Record of the Day Listen later
Reading listen 6 min
The cello concerto, a final love letter
Recorded with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Raphaël Merlin, the Cello Concerto in A minor op. 129 by Schumann is the centerpiece of this album. Considered a true Holy Grail for cellists, this complex work nevertheless requires a long period of work before it can be recorded: “It’s an adventure that has been thought through for a long time. It is first of all an experience on stage, I always want to say that it is because we are familiar with a repertoire that we come to recording. You have to have played a lot in concert to have reflexes, you have to have matured the piece to be able to deliver it with a real message.“Written in 1850, six years before the composer’s death, this concerto seems to be a final love letter addressed to his wife, Clara Schumann:”I don’t know if this is a factual reality, but it’s a late piece. We feel that there are quotes precisely from this famous diminished fifth which is Robert’s call for his wife Clara. We get the impression that he is completely overwhelmed by his own love. Robert Schumann is for me a poet of sounds. We have the impression that he writes music as he would write a novel.”“, says the cellist.
If the love of the two musicians is first told in music, it is also based on the abundant correspondence between Clara and Robert Schumann: “What I find very beautiful is the way we wrote each other at that time. Something that has perhaps been a little lost these days, since we are in a form of immediacy. In our lives, we are in a hurry and we ultimately have time for nothing. What I like about their correspondence is that they take time, time for words. At this time, we take the time to love each other and I feel that in the music too, in this kind of heightened romanticism “, he explains.
A bridge between tradition and contemporaneity
In addition to the works of Clara and Robert Schumann, Christian-Pierre La Marca wanted to create a musical dialogue between romantic scores and more contemporary pieces: “What was important for me was to project a mirror of this love story into our times. So I ordered four pieces from two women and two men to get their feelings and to get a modern day love letter“, explains the cellist. There are also works by composers Michelle Ross and Patricia Kopatchinskaja and composers Fabien Waksman and Jean-Frédéric Neuburger.
Christian-Pierre La Marca will be in concert from November 13 to 17 at the Brussels Cello Festival, November 23 at the Théâtre de Roanne, December 4 at the Lille Opera and January 20 at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris.
The Evening Concert Listen later
Reading listen 1h 58min
Love LettersTribute to Clara and Robert Schumann, published by Naïve on October 25, 2024
Lost in our fast-paced, digital age of communication.” La Marca emphasizes that the depth of emotion conveyed through their letters is something we often overlook today. He invites us to reflect on the artistry of genuine expression, where words were carefully chosen and feelings were painstakingly articulated.
Love Letters: A Reawakening
This album, Love Letters, is more than just a musical collection; it’s a reawakening of timeless romance in an era defined by instant messages and fleeting moments. With every note that La Marca plays, he breathes life into the love story of Robert and Clara Schumann, letting us experience their passion, struggles, and ultimate devotion through the lens of music. It’s a beautiful paradox that music has the power to convey feelings beyond words, transcending both time and culture.
Conclusion
As Christian-Pierre La Marca brings this artful blend of the old and the new to audiences, he reminds us that love—like music—requires patience, consideration, and above all, sincerity. So if you yearn for a musical exploration filled with emotional depth and a hint of cheekiness, be sure to dive into the captivating world of Love Letters. You may just find yourself rediscovering the magic of heartfelt connections and the beauty of expressing love through sound.
Love Letters – A celebration of the love between Clara and Robert Schumann, published by Naïve on October 25, 2024.
La Marca’s project juxtaposes the romanticism of the past with contemporary interpretations, making it not only a tribute to Schumann but also a reminder for all of us to slow down and cultivate the art of loving correspondence—be it through letters, music, or otherwise.
