Piano prodigy Clara Wieck composed her Piano Concerto in A minor when she was just fourteen. Two years later, she performed it at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, with no less than Felix Mendelssohn conducting. Born two hundred years ago, on September 13, 1819, Wieck’s composing career was eclipsed by that of composer Robert Schumann, whom she married the day before her 21st birthday, and with whom she had eight children. Her piano concerto is having a modest resurgence this season, with performances planned by orchestras including the Austin Symphony, Canton Symphony Orchestra (Ohio), Fort Collins Symphony (Colorado), Illinois Philharmonic, Mission Chamber Orchestra (San Jose, CA), Nashville Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra (Canada), New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony in C (New Jersey). The Minnesota Orchestra presented The Prodigious Life of Clara S., a new play featuring her music, in July.
