In this special episode of Future Classic Women Awards, host Stefania Passamonte welcomes back Elena Mazzon, the acclaimed actress and playwright behind the powerful production “Clara: Sex, Love and Classical Music.” Elena discusses her recent international tours, including performances at the Reykjavík Fringe Festival in Iceland and venues across Italy and Los Angeles, sharing fascinating insights about how audiences worldwide are responding to Clara Schumann’s remarkable story. From sold-out London shows to composed LA audiences, Elena reveals how the subject matter resonates across different cultures and demographics.
The conversation delves into the creative challenge of blending acting with live piano performance, exploring how Elena learned to seamlessly transition between dialogue and playing difficult classical pieces. Elena and Stefania announce an exciting double-bill performance happening this week in Kingston upon Thames, where Stefania will perform as the music director, providing full-length renditions of Clara’s compositions to complement Elena’s theatrical narrative. They discuss why this collaboration works so well, allowing audiences to experience both the emotional storytelling of the play and the complete musical works that showcase Clara’s extraordinary talent as a concert pianist.
Throughout the episode, Elena reflects on Clara Schumann’s revolutionary impact as a symbol of feminism before the movement was even named, highlighting how a woman managed to tour as a concert pianist while raising seven children after her husband Robert’s death. The episode celebrates how this 200th anniversary of Clara’s birth continues to inspire audiences globally, with particular attention to how both men and women are engaging with her story and legacy.
Main Topics
Elena Mazzon's play 'Clara: Sex, Love and Classical Music' explores the life of composer and pianist Clara Schumann, celebrating the 200th anniversary of her birth in 2018
International tour success shows varying audience demographics and awareness levels—Iceland had strong familiarity with Clara while Italian and London audiences discovered her story through the play
Elena combines acting with live piano performance on stage, playing Clara's difficult compositions while delivering dramatic dialogue—a challenging technique she's refined over multiple productions
Clara Schumann represents feminism before the word existed, as she was a touring concert pianist who supported her family of seven children as a widow in a time when women performers were extremely rare
A special double-bill performance pairs Elena's theatrical production with Stefania Passamonte performing full-length Clara Schumann piano compositions to give complete justice to her musical works
Audience reactions vary significantly by location—LA audiences showed respectful reserve while London crowds were more vocally engaged, demonstrating how cultural contexts shape theatre experiences
The podcast features Romance No. 1 by Clara Schumann, composed for her husband Robert, showcasing the dreamy yet melancholic mood that hints at their complex relationship
Full TranscriptHello and welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte, on Women's Radio Station, the program whe...▼
Hello and welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte, on Women's Radio Station, the program where we search for the most amazing new female artists on the classical panorama. Today we have a very special guest that is not a classical musician, is an actress who wrote a fantastic play on Clara Schumann. We had her before actually in the previous edition of Future Classic Women Awards. Hello Elena. Hello. This is Elena Matson. Elena Matson, you wrote this amazing play, it's called Clara. Clara: Sex, Love and Classical Music. This is a very intriguing title and you have a play, you're here today because Your second episode of the radio play that we broadcasted for Clara's birthday in September 2018 is just going to be released again for the second episode, that is the second part of the radio play, right? Yes, for this year, which is the 200th birthday of Clara Schumann. Exactly. So we will see a special— everybody is so— there is so much buzz around Clara at the moment because she is symbol of feminism before the word was even invented, isn't it? Kind of, yeah, definitely. So Clara, you just— Clara, sorry. Few people do that after a long tour. I know, we saw some review, right, on the— each other review. Clara was amazing, yeah. Clara Mattsson is like, no, but it's okay. Elena, Elena, so you had a tour in Italy just recently. Actually, you came back from your Icelandic tour. How was the Icelandic public audience and, you know, experience? Well, Iceland was amazing, and I went to Reykjavík Fringe Festival, which is a relatively new festival, fringe festival for theatre. The audience was really good. They they really knew about Clara, which is something that didn't happen before in Italy, or it did happen here, but not so much. I think over there, there was a lot of awareness of who she is and her music. Oh, wonderful. So the public was specifically targeted, was targeting that show, which was great. Did you have musicians in the audience? Yes, quite a few. Pianists? Pianists, but yeah, different genre. Yeah, musicians or music lovers. Yeah. Did you see any special attention from a female audience or female musicians specifically, or it was just general? I don't know who they were, but I know a couple of them were orchestra musicians and female. And yeah, generally I think the public was mainly female in Iceland, but I must say it was overall quite mixed. Mm-hmm. So you didn't notice anything being the subject kind of specific? It was not that specific. What would you say? I mean, we're talking about a woman who's empowering herself through her music, basically, and who managed to survive a husband who— Yeah, she— Who died young and left her with 7 children, if you like. And she had to provide for the whole family. She had to tour in a moment when you didn't have that many concert pianists, women, because it's the idea of touring really that, you know, when you tour you have to leave the family back home. And so that was quite inconceivable, right, for women. Yeah, yeah. At the time, as it is today sometimes as well. Yeah, well, I think what was interesting about the audience is it's very mixed in terms of gender. So it's both men and women. And sometimes actually have loads of men that are interested in the subject, which is quite good considering that we women are aware of feminism. So it's good that men are aware of it too. I suppose loads of those people were either music lovers or musicians, but specifically in Iceland, I don't know why that happened in that particular place. So, the topic did ring, you know, much to their taste, I guess, all their personal stories. But in Italy it was different, that the audience was very mixed and most people didn't know anything about Clara. They were just passionate about theatre? Yeah, they just loved the festival and they just— it was really, really good crowd and most of them didn't know anything about it and were quite happy to find out about it. Okay. A new story about a female composer that they didn't know anything about. You had quite a big success as well here in in London when you first staged your play. So Elena wrote the whole play, and so she's acting, and you are also playing the piano live on stage. I do play. I produced and perform— I'm performing the show, and I wrote it and researched it. And yeah, London was a surprise because it's hard to have a big audience in Fringe Theatre and then for a new play I thought, no one's going to show up apart from a couple of friends, but it was good to have a full house and yeah, for all the nights actually. And so yeah, so there is definitely an audience out there and the subject matter does, does interest people quite a lot. And so you are here actually to promote your next show that is here in London again. It's in Kingston upon Thames. Yes, the nearest nearest one in time is Kingston, Upper Thames next week— is that where— this week, give myself another week, but it's not, it's this Thursday. We open this Thursday and Friday and Saturday with other two shows and we are on Ram Jam Records in Kingston at 7:30 PM on Thursday and we have a double bill with Stefania on Friday. With me actually, so if anyone want to see how— why did the double double bill? Let's tell the audience how the double bill was born. Well, we thought it was interesting. Well, first of all, it's a great collaboration. Stefania, you are my music director on the show, which is— without you and Kat, my director and dramaturg, this show wouldn't exist. And Colin, who devised it with me for a long time before I started writing properly, and Yeah, it's just the idea of adding more music because I decided to keep the show quite compact in terms of music and having you explaining and showing the music after as it should be played in full length. Well, let's say the problem is that Clara was an amazing concert pianist and she wrote an extremely difficult piano score so that it would display her abilities and so although Elena I can't play the piano. She's not a pianist, so it's hard to give justice, isn't it? Yeah. They are very difficult pieces. And then people kept asking you, we want to listen to more of it. Yeah, but also I think the economy of the play would be too much to add too much music to. I think this is the right balance for the play itself, so I think having a double bill gives an extra touch to it. Well, let's listen now just to one of the pieces that we didn't hear on the very first interview, and that's the Romance No. 1, composed by Clara Opus 11 for her husband, Robert Schumann. I'm not going to tell you very much about it, apart from the fact that you can hear the love that there is from Clara to Robert, and already some hint of what's going to happen between them, as the mood is dreamy, but at the same time a little bit melancholic. And so— and that's me playing the piano. And this was Clara Schumann Romance, Opus 11, number 1. We will be back after a short break. Welcome to Women's Radio Station. I'm Sarah Louise Ryan, and welcome to Love Lessons Live on Women's Radio Station. Hello and welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte, on Women's Radio Station. Hello and welcome to Julie May Is Listening. Hi, this is Anna Kennedy, and we're at Women's Radio Station supporting women's well-being, and we're talking all things autism. 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To find out more and be part of this movement, come check out our website at MediaMattersForWomen.org. You're listening to Women's Radio Station, supporting women's well-being. Women's Radio Station's creating a global network for the empowerment of women, and we want you to be involved. Join us on Instagram and Twitter at Women's Radio Station, that's Women's Radio STN, or Facebook Women's Radio Station to keep up to date with all our exciting programs. Welcome back to Future Classic Women Awards on Women's Radio Station, the program where we search for the most amazing new female artists on the classical panorama. Today our guest is not a musician, is an actress who play a musician, who play Clara Schumann. Elena, we were talking about the play of Clara Schumann, how the music interacts with your acting. How hard is it to switch from talking and actually playing the piano? Well, initially it was really difficult and I thought I'll never make it when I first drafted it and showcased it. But then I guess with the time and then also by sticking to what the music really means, especially within the economy of the play and the context, then it's so much easier because you're already in that mood. So kind of carried away as an actor with the feeling of what you're saying, the story. So it does help. Yeah, so it does work okay eventually after a while we've been doing it. I have to say we did it first time in Los Angeles. How was Los Angeles? It was during the Grammys week. Yeah, well, it was a great experience. And again, like in Iceland or Turin, Italy, that, you know, the audience is always different. So it's always a surprise to see how they're going to react or you might expect something from a certain audience. And from another one and then maybe be disappointed or surprised. Were you disappointed? Well, I— no, I wasn't disappointed, but I expected, because they were American, to be more engaged and laughing, and they were really reserved, but they really liked the play and they had this kind of almost respect for the theatre. That's how they see it in LA, and maybe because they don't have so much theatre, so it was It was funny to see maybe a London audience to be more bubbly and noisy in some ways, like laughing or, you know, reacting verbally as well, whilst in LA they were quite composed, which is quite nice. Well, to be honest, as a concert pianist, it was the first time— on my point of view, it was the first time we did the double bill. It was an experiment. We were the both of us nominated competing for the Grammys Awards, Elena with Radio Prey as best spoken word album and me with the single as best, you know, classical single. And we had people from the Grammys, so from the Recording Academy coming to listen to us. So there were colleagues and friends that they were with us during the Grammy ceremony. And so it was musicians like me, So the way we listen to music normally is very respectful. Also, the comment was that there was so much to take in. So it's long an hour, your play, and then I was speaking and playing for another hour. So it was 2-hour show in the end, but it was quite intense and it flew away. That was the comment that we had from everybody. And on my point of view, it was very funny the fact that I had to talk to the audience because I never talk. My way of talking to the audience is through my playing, isn't it? So I had to talk and then switch to playing, so the memory completely went out of the window, forget it. So I tried, I started playing by heart and like, no, I can't do that because it's the mental concentration is completely different. And then the fact that I was talking to the audience and I couldn't see them. So normally when you do a concert, the light, they're not completely switched off, so you can see them and so you talk and look at them and you can interact. And there I was like kind of gazing into the dark. So, and that— did you have in the concert that you did in Italy, the play, I mean, that you did in Italy or in Finland, did you have the lights switched off like a proper theatre or was more like a chamber music concert hall? The Icelandic venue was a music venue, so I was spoiled with a lovely piano, grand piano. But I didn't have lights, theatre lights, which is of course for us, it's a bit of a, you know, it's a shame because you need the lights, but actually it worked. And so the relationship with the audience was a bit different, whilst when you are in a theatre venue and you have theatre lights with your lovely jellies, or it's, yeah, of course you can't see them all the time or past the first or second row, which is part of the game. But, you know, the lights of course are very important in a play, and then— but I think it worked really well with the music as well when you did it, and it just mixed the two. It was a different way, basically. So in a concert, somehow, it's the music who's doing the whole job, while in the theatre it's a combination of things. And definitely the light was impressive. It was quite putting me off as well because I couldn't see the keys as I normally see them. And you need to play— I know the feeling. You need to play so many keys, I can tell you that. That you have to see them clearly to be able to jump in the right place. So that was another problem to it. But it was fun, I have to say. So I think we should try more of it. And that's why we're actually doing it again this Friday. Friday, we're live. Can be my designing for you. Oh, it will be my second time doing it with the theatre light and let's see what will happen. Okay, now the next piece we're going to listen to is Clara Schumann, the Romans, Opus 2, Number 11. No, Opus 11, Number 2, and is the one that she dedicated to her husband. So we used it in a play in a moment when she's nagging, he's nagging to her going away, not being the right wife, mother. And so in the play we stop at the moment where it looks like there is nothing else to it, so apart from, in a way, divorce or something like that. And the romance instead continues, and what's after that is actually full of love and full of tenderness. So I'll let you see how it ends up. Bap! And the love survives with this major chord at the end. This was Clara Schumann, Romanza No. 2, Op. 11. See you after the break. Welcome to the Women's Radio Station, supporting women's well-being. Women's Radio Station is all about diversity, from opinions, career, ethnicity, education, and most importantly, women's well-being. We aim to celebrate the individuality of every woman everywhere, providing opportunities and the platform for your voice. Visit our website womensradiostation.com for more information. I'm Tamina Zaman, founder of Empower and Enrich. When it comes to money, do you clam up or get confused? Do you wish you could save more money, or are you hoping you have enough for retirement? You are not alone. Many women Many women want to be smarter with their cash but just don't know where to start. At empowerandenrich.org, you will find a host of options to help you take charge of your finances and learn how to put your money to work for you in an easy, affordable way. Get in touch with me at empowerandenrich.org and let's change your future together. Hello, my name is Natasha Anne Callagher. Welcome to you lovely lady listeners of your very own women's radio station. Over the coming months, I'll be doing a survey in big brand coffee shops interviewing customers, asking why they like to drink coffee and if they would like to give us a health tip for our listeners. The most shared and liked post will be the winner of a prize. Stay tuned for further details. Hi, I'm Carolyn Van Biers. Please join me for a brand new show here on Women's Radio Station. It's Mother's Hour. If like me, you're a mum juggling far too many balls and dropping most of them, this is definitely the show for you. We'll examine the highs and lows of motherhood and make sure you laugh out loud as we take on this challenging role together. With spoonfuls of advice, incredible stories, it will be a refreshing, honest, and funny look at being a mum. Are you struggling with money? Turn to us as a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet. Job loss, illness, or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis. We give practical help to get people back on track. Whether you're thinking of having a baby, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship, or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to, we can help. Visit turn2us.org.uk. Welcome to the Women's Radio Station, supporting women's well-being. Women's Radio Station can give voice to your brand with a wide range of sponsorship opportunities, including individual programs. We can tailor your experience for you. For more information on how you can sponsor a show, go to womensradiostation.com. Women's Radio Station, supporting women's well-being. Welcome back to Future Classic Women Awards on Women's Radio Station. Our guest today is Elena Mattsson aka Clara Schumann. Elena, shall we tell the story of how we went for the first time to the Grammys? Like how it happened, the whole thing? We were working on Clara Schumann together. Yeah, I mean, I started working on this play quite a while ago now, 2015-16. Yeah, and it took me a couple of years to finish it. And then, and then of course on the way we were working together because you were my music— you are still my music director. And then so we decided that why not doing an album about her, especially with the bicentenary coming on this year. So It was just the perfect occasion to do that. Yeah, so I was competing for the Grammys for something else. I think it was The Tempest, the album The Tempest, with the Chopin Sonata and Beethoven, the Tempest Sonata, etc. And I was going to New York with my— it was the 50th anniversary of the Grammys as well, so it was a huge celebration that was New York, and I was planning to go with my husband because when you go to the Grammys, you get a ticket for the competitor and the guest. And last minute, my husband couldn't make it and I had the hotel booked, the flight booked, the ticket and everything. And I thought, who could come with me? Hmm. And then I thought, why not Elena? So we can start promoting the new album that we're working on, isn't it? And I called you like 2 days before. Yeah, 2 days before we were supposed to leave. Elena was like, what? The Grammys? 2 days? After tomorrow? That was quite a crazy flight, wasn't it? Yeah. Plus we ended up— I couldn't, I couldn't revert the ticket that I had extra for the flight, so you had to fly on a different flight. But if there— they didn't have extra room, we had to share the bed, and it was like It doesn't matter. We're like sisters. It doesn't matter after all this. And then, well, I mean, we've done so many crazy adventures there in New York, wasn't it? In 72 hours. Yeah. The quickest getaway. And yeah, absolutely. I think Los Angeles was a bit more relaxed. This time we managed to fly on the same plane. Yeah. Yeah. And it was good. I enjoyed both, and I guess the first time was my first time at the Grammys ever. It's not something you normally do. Not for an actress in particular. Well, the deal is that when she's going to the Oscars or to the BAFTAs, I'm going to be her date. It's going to happen soon. Absolutely. But so, yeah, what was the— how is it for an actress to be at the Grammys? Oh, it's how it is for a human being to be at the Grammys. I've never been there before. It was like, I don't know, what am I doing here? On the red carpet? Yeah, it was exciting and you didn't know who you're gonna meet and like, it's always very exciting and it was in a city I've never been to, New York. Um, so it was fun and, uh, and then it's a great show. You see loads of artists and that year specifically was, um, was a great 2 years ago when we went, it was a great show, it was fun. And then second time we're more used to it, BTWs. It was fun and I met loads of people. It's a bit crazy, it was fun. I think the most impossible story was the security around it because it was the 50 years, it was New York, you know, they were so afraid about terror attacks and everything. And the So what we did, I booked a hotel that was like 2 blocks away from the Staples— no, it's not the Staples Center, that's in Los Angeles. New York was the Madison Square Garden. Madison Square Garden. Yeah. It was just by there. Just by there, exactly. 2 minutes walk. And so we walked because there was no way— yeah, there was no way you could go with the limousine or with the taxi or anything. No, because in January. Absolutely. It was freezing cold with our sandals and the very long dress all wrapped. Up because otherwise it was getting dirty. And then we arrived there and there was this very scary policeman with the dogs and the machine guns, you know, I was all closed. And then suddenly the tube station right under the Madison Square Garden was open and we had million people coming out, normal people coming out of the tube station, walking towards us asking, you know, we had an email right before we were going to the ceremony, telling us, be careful, there might be terrorists, that they will mug you, they will mug your tickets to go inside and do some things. And so we were in the middle of normal people all saying, oh, we are going to the Grammys, or like, because of course we were dressed for it. And that was so scary, wasn't it? Just funny. And then we had people inside. Yeah, inside the Grammys, you know, policemen with the dogs. Saying this is not a dog to be pet. Remember? Yeah, they were very nice. Yeah, but they were friendly. They were policemen with the tuxedo, with the evening dress, you know, mixed in the middle of the audience. So that was a bit weird, but there was lots of security. It was a bit more chilled in LA. Um, but yeah, yeah, well, just in LA this year, it was the— again, the worst weather ever. We had— it was so cold. It must be us. I don't know, we're prepared to go in, you know, with— because now Marie is beach clothes, sandals and summer t-shirt, and it was freezing. Yeah, and in the evening, plus it was raining like crazy, so we had our hair done, you know, you have hair makeup before you go there for pictures, taking all that carpet and things, and it was raining, so my hair went all curly, it was awful. Although I love curly hair, but not from the rain. Yeah, so these are the problems, isn't it, to go to this ceremony? Because you just see, you know, the superstar coming in and you think, oh, it's so beautiful. No rain on them. But there is so, so much stress around it. I mean, it's ridiculous. Yeah. All right, so what are we gonna do with the next piece we're gonna play? It's, um Clara Schumann Romance No. 3, Opus 11. So we've done the whole set of the 3 romances that Clara dedicated to her husband. This one is a special one because you can hear— romance in general means a piece. It's from where the novels come from, so in Italian, romanzo, romance. It's when the old menstrels, they were telling a story of the knights or whatever, a fairy tale. And so you can really hear the fairy tale in it. And this beautiful is dedicated to her husband because it reminds of the scene of the woods that, or the youthful scene that Robert was so good composing for. And, but then in the middle there is a section where you kind of hear the cuckoo, and the cuckoo, it has an identification with the madness, the fact that he was going mad. So there is this beautiful loving love story that you can hear in the romance, and then suddenly in the middle you get this interlude. That is kind of telling you that something is gonna happen. So it's really, really interesting to listen to it. And that's Clara de Romanz, number 3, opus 11. And this was Clara Schumann Romance No. 3, Opus 11. We will be back after a short break. Welcome to the Women's Radio Station, supporting women's well-being. Women's Radio Station is all about diversity, from opinions, career, ethnicity, education, and most importantly, women's well-being. We aim to celebrate the individuality of every woman everywhere, providing opportunities and the platform for your voice. Visit our website womensradiostation.com for more information. I'm Tamina Zaman, founder of Empower and Enrich. When it comes to money, do you clam up or get confused? Do you wish you could save more money, or are you hoping you have enough for retirement. You are not alone. Many women want to be smarter with their cash but just don't know where to start. At empowerandenrich.org, you will find a host of options to help you take charge of your finances and learn how to put your money to work for you in an easy, affordable way. Get in touch with me at empowerandenrich.org and let's change your future together. Hello, my name is Natasha Anne Callaghan. Welcome to you lovely lady listeners of your very own women's radio station. Over the coming months, I'll be doing a survey in big brand coffee shops, interviewing customers, asking why they like to drink coffee and if they would like to give us a health tip for our listeners. The most shared and liked post will be the winner of a prize. Stay tuned for further details. Hi, I'm Carolyn Van Biers. Please join me for a brand new show here on Women's Radio Station. It's Mother's Hour. If like me, you're a mum juggling far too many balls and dropping most of them, this is definitely the show for you. We'll examine the highs and lows of motherhood and make sure you laugh out loud as we take on this challenging role together. With spoonfuls of advice, incredible stories, it will be a refreshing, honest, and funny look at being a mum. Are you struggling with money? Turn to us as a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet. Job loss, illness, or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis. We give practical help to get people back on track. Whether you're thinking of having a baby, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship, or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to, we can help. Visit turn2us.org.uk. Welcome to the Women's Radio Station, supporting women's well-being. Women's Radio Station can give voice to your brand with a wide range of sponsorship opportunities, including individual programs. We can tailor your experience for you. For more information on how you can sponsor a show, go to womensradiostation.com. Women's Radio Station, supporting women's well-being. Welcome back to Future Classic Women Awards on Women's Radio Station, the program where we search for the most amazing new female artists on the classical panorama. Today our guest, and we've been talking this morning, is Elena Matson, aka Clara Schumann. Elena, this show, so you had it, you tour in Iceland, in Italy, you had it here in the UK. We're going to do it again alone and together with the double bill with me. Yeah. This Friday, Thursday starts Thursday, Friday, Saturday at Kingston Ram Jam Records, Kingston upon Thames. Absolutely. That is 15 minutes from Vauxhall. Yeah. Strain by Waterloo. Okay, fantastic. And but what's the next place where you're gonna bring it? Well, there are a few dates for 2019. The first one after this would be Italy, to my home. I'm going to my home place. I will perform it in Italian again. I'm going to Gorizia. There is a quite popular tradition of music and choir in there, so There is an association, a choir association organization. We're going to play, we're going to do Clara within a season dedicated to her and her music. Perfect. Because Clara composed a lot of lieder to be sung, so there are going to be songs as well in the competition, well, it's not a competition, in this event. Then I will have 4 dates at the end of September in London, in Farringdon at Fidelio Cafe, and then I will be probably in Milan in the middle of November within an English context, English theatre in Milan, and Bonn with Estefania in December for the Schumannverein, that is the official Schumann organization in Germany, and And Bonn is one of the cities connected to Clara because this is where Robert died, near Bonn, in Edenich. And that should be it for 2019, as far as I know. Yeah. And you're also planning to go even further than Europe? Yeah, I'm trying to— after Europe and America, I think I'm trying to get to Australia. And see if it's feasible with my timing, my scheduling. And so I'm thinking about going to Adelaide Fringe and perhaps Melbourne. Well, let's tell, you are also busy as an actress in the movies, and you've been in Killin Eve. I have, yeah, I took part in Killin Eve and did short films like, you know, most of us. And I want to do other productions too, but I like to to try to go to that side of the world and take Clara over there. And hopefully, well, the idea is to start writing a new piece soon. So I'm at least starting writing down some words, so, and devising a little. And so I'd like to have some space for that. Now, a personal question. Is it more fun to play, to act on a stage or on a movie or on on the radio play, for example. These are all different medium, if you like. Yeah, they're different media. And then, um, although the process in some ways is the same, what you do to yourself as a performer, I think the fact that you, you're performing live is such a different— puts you in such a different situation from being in front of a camera. So the stress that you have is different when you're on stage or in camera and, and having audiences, what an actor wants. So I think for me is the best way of acting because every time is different. And what's film, once you filmed it, is filmed and then it's in the hands of the head and of the editors. And so I think it's in some ways is more fun to, to be on stage. In some other ways is more fun to be on film. It depends what you're after, but, but yeah, you know, live performance, as you know, is, you know, if you're a performer, that's what you want to do, I think. Absolutely. All right, now what, what, what's going to be the next play that you want to write? Is that going to be still with music, or, um, I don't, I don't think will be about music and with music the way this one was, because otherwise it become a bit repetitive, I think. Um, but there will be musical elements, maybe. I think music and theatre are connected anyway, but I don't know, probably I will try to continue on a female story, not just because I'm a woman, but perhaps just to maintain a kind of red thread in the narration and create style, and I'm not sure whether it's going to be a one-person show or two or three-hander. I still don't know. Absolutely. Do you think Clara, you will be playing it more, or there will be a moment when Clara won't be played anymore? Oh, potentially as a player can continue playing, performing for a while because I can change the age anytime. It doesn't— it could be funny even when you're 95. Absolutely. Um, it could, you know, it could be played at different stages of my life and without having to change the meaning of the show. Um, um, so it could potentially continue for a long time. And I think there would be a moment when it will ever stop for, you know, to, to let something else coming in, something new. But it doesn't have to be a long stop, it can be a pause, and then and then continue later on. Absolutely. All right, now the next piece that we're gonna listen to is Clara Schumann, the Romance No. 2, Opus 21, is the one that Clara dedicated to Robert— and, hey, pardon, to Brahms, to Johannes Brahms. And it's a very funny one, isn't it? It's a one that is telling us about the jokes of the the funny aspect of their relationship. You know, they, they, it was not only about drama and passion and melancholy and everything, but they also had a lot of love, isn't it? And this is something that you researched specifically. You didn't just write a play as it is. You've been searching on biographies and letters and So yeah, you could actually get a degree maybe in Clara Schumann, a PhD one day. All right, then let's listen to Clara Romance Op. 2, No. 21. And this was Clara Romance No. 2, Opus 21. So, Elin, you were telling me about— off the radio— about your next project. There is a very special evening. It's not a PhD on Clara Schumann, but almost. 15 minutes. I'm going to be in Bressnay Green on the 18th of September talking about, at the so-called Nerd Night, talking about Clara for 15 minutes, I think, or 20. So it will be a presentation about Clara, her music, and some funny events, facts about her life. And yeah, and I would promote my next show in London. So yeah. Fantastic. Well, but for now, come to see Clara Elena Mattsson and maybe me on Thursday, 1st of August, or Friday with double bill, 2nd of August, and Saturday, 3rd of August, 2019, at the Ram Jam Records Theatre in Richmond Road, Kingston-upon-Thames. If you have any questions that you would like to ask to our guests or nominations for future Classic Women Awards, please email presenters@womensradiostation.com or tweet us @WomensRadioStation. Station for a chance to win, to, to come and see us. All right, thank you so— thank you for listening. 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