Clara

Clara is an orchestral composition written in 2021 by the Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz. The work was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, which first performed the piece under the conductor Gustavo Dudamel at Alice Tully Hall on March 9, 2022. Composition Background Clara was inspired by the Romantic-era German pianist and composer Clara Schumann and her relationship with her husband and fellow composer Robert Schumann. In the score program note, Ortiz wrote, "My original idea was to transfer onto an ephemeral canvas the internal sounds of each one without attempting to illustrate or interpret, but simply voice and create, through my ear, the expressiveness and unique strength of their complex, but also fascinating personalities." She added: Structure Clara is cast in a single movement divided into five sections played continuously, each representing an imagined interaction between Clara and Robert Schumann or, as in the third section, Ortiz herself: Clara Robert My response Robert's subconscious Always Clara