From Brahms to Dietrich, violinist Fanny Robilliard and pianist Paloma Kouider conjure up the ghosts of the Schumanns’ destiny. The programme explores the works that left their mark on their existence, from the F-A-E Sonata to Brahms’s Second Violin Sonata.

Behind these works one can see the existence of the piano virtuoso Clara Schumann appear. Linked by the A key, Clara’s key, both Schumann’s and Brahms’s sonatas bear the secret presence of their loved one, each revealing one aspect of passion. Indeed, the melancholic sway of Robert Schumann’s First Violin Sonata faces the radiant lyricism of Brahms’s.

In this inextricable tangle, Fanny Robillard and Paloma Kouider set Clara Schumann at the centre of this album, not reducing her to her inspirational role, by adding her Three Romances to the programme. The backbone of this record, this work shows how strong were her creative forces as it builds this musical and poetic path.