An accomplished concert pianist, Clara is reduced to household duties when genius composer Robert Schumann, her alcoholic, mentally unstable husband, takes a musical director’s post in Düsseldorf. Clara’s life changes dramatically when she watches young composer Johannes Brahms play for the first time. Entranced by his brilliant talent, Clara is drawn toward him emotionally as Robert’s condition worsens. With Brahms living in the Schumann house and supporting the family financially, Clara struggles to reconcile her heart with her sense of duty and loyalty. Director Helma Sanders-Brahms is a distant relative of Johannes Brahms.“Art is so possessive, when you get involved with it, it absorbs you. You have to give it everything – everything”, – says director Helma Sanders-Brahms.
