Scenes from Childhood: Traumerei
Saint of the Piano: Clara Haskil
During the unhappy period when Clara's father's objections kept his daughter and Robert Schumann apart, music was the chief means of communication between them. This is the sum of tiny pieces suggested by a remark of Clara that Schumann sometimes seemed like a child.
Robert, however, declared that the titles came to him after the music, indicating that musical ideas and contrasts were more important.
Piano Clara Haskil (1895 - 1960)
Recorded May, 1955
"Clara Haskil was, until her death in 1960, almost a saint of the piano"; by no means exaggerated image, with which Joachim Kaiser, in his book, describes the imcomparable aura that surrounded Clara Haskil in her last years.
She was born in 1895 in Bucharest as a Jewish Roumanian, and her genius had been demonstrated since six year old. There was really scarcely any doubt that a splendid future lay ahead.
She, however, must accept her frailty and therapy, suffered from various diseases. She had been standing so often on the edge of the abyss.
Notwithstanding such bad health conditions, she began a nice time to work on her international career with Pablo Casals, Georges Enescu, Eugene Ysaye and Grumiaux.
Her troubles soon another serious direction: she developed a brain tumuor. The difficult operation was successful in 1942 in Marseille. After World War II her career was indisputably phenomenal. She left many charismatic palyings and recordings with famous conductors, including Karajan.
Clara Haskil die in Brussel on 7 decemer 1960, guessed the cause to have been a sudden attack of faintness.