Robert Schumann is probably best known for his Lieder, but he was also interested in literature. This led him to write a large-scale work that was very successful at the time. He wrote in a letter: “It is the most ambitious project I have undertaken so far. It is not an opera; I think it is almost a new genre for the concert hall. It is an oratorio, but not a religious one – a secular one.” Schumann tried to renew the genre. Using a mythological text, he created a work that is romantic, beautiful, and full of inspiration. The recitatives and arias are carefully linked, and the orchestra can be both grand and intimate. Premiered in 1843 in Leipzig, the work quickly became popular worldwide, but today it is rarely performed and is unjustly forgotten.
The music is based on the poem Paradise and the Peri by Irish poet and musician Thomas Moore. It tells the story of the Persian mythological being, the Peri, who is banished from Paradise and seeks redemption. She must find “the most precious gift of heaven.” Her journey takes her to India, where she collects the last drop of blood from a hero who died fighting for freedom. Then to Egypt, where a young woman is dying of the plague. The Peri witnesses her sacrifice but still has not found the gift. Finally, in Syria, she meets a child praying and an old man who has lived a sinful life. The old man cries when he hears the child’s prayer, and the tear he sheds is the gift the Peri has been seeking. At last, the gates of heaven open for her.
This work is still relevant today because it speaks to the deepest parts of human nature: justice, love, and forgiveness.
The preparatory academy will take place from 31 March to 5 April 2025 at the Palacio de Festivales, Santander, Spain. The advanced training academy will be held from 1 to 6 May 2025 in Cardona, at the Col·legiata de Sant Vicenç. During this academy, a recording will be made for release in 2025.
The academy will gather 98 musicians, including singers and instrumentalists, half of whom will be women. Half of the group will also be young musicians under 39 years old.
After the academy, a tour of three concerts will take place:
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Palacio de Festivales, Santander, Spain – 5 April 2025
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L’Auditori, Barcelona, Spain – 8 May 2025
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Philharmonie de Paris, France – 12 May 2025
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