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New Album:
Faces & Masques
The Paramount Chamber Players’ Debut Album brings the music of Clara and Robert Schumann to the fore; Paramount announces “Schumann Tour” Dates
The Paramount Chamber Players, led by Director and Pianist Katherine Benson (Assistant Professor of Piano, Penn State University), is proud to present the music of Clara and Robert Schumann with Violinist William Shaub (Concertmaster, Knoxville Symphony).
About Faces & Masques
Sharing a distinct history of performing Clara and Robert Schumann’s music together, Benson and Shaub sought to deliver a recording of Robert Schumann’s monumental Sonatas “through the interpretive eyes of Clara.”
Their endeavor brings the duo’s shared passion for his music—a devoted, fiery passion—to audiences throughout Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and globally through all streaming platforms and widely available physical discs.
Recorded in the state of the art Powell Recital Hall at the Martin Center for the Arts (East Tennessee State University) with legendary piano sound engineer Dave Schall, Benson and Shaub sought to bring back the famed recording methods of the mid 20th-century with uncompromising commitment.
As close to a live recording as possible, listeners will hear the vibrancy of naturalness in the hall’s New York Steinway, no artificial help from machines, the sound of humans breathing, and the natural woodiness of the violin (Shaub’s Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume) and rosined horse-hair on steel strings.
The Schumanns’ shared humanity—their triumphs and their profound struggles—continues to inspire us all, and speaks directly to the human condition. The healing power of music is ever-apparent and ever-present in their music. It’s what makes their music as relevant today as it has ever been; and we believe perhaps even more.
To Benson and Shaub, Robert and Clara deserve a performance that is as authentic and truly human as they are: a recording that uncovers both the faces and the masks.
