Clara Schumann “Romances for Violin and Piano”: Stefan Jackiw

Last week, I had the pleasure of performing with Stefan Jackiw. The young American violinist played the Beethoven Concerto with the Williamsburg (VA) Symphony Orchestra.

Jackiw’s playing is characterized by an unusual sense of elegance and refinement. He paints with a wide array of colors and dynamics. In the most intimate passages of the slow movement of the Beethoven, he was not afraid to play just above a whisper. Jackiw’s elegant and stylish approach point to the French school of violin playing. Among his teachers was French violinist Michèle Auclair, a student of Jacques Thibaud.

Here is Stefan Jackiw’s recent performance of two of Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22, written in 1853. These miniatures were dedicated to the Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim, for whom Brahms wrote his Violin Concerto. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear Clara’s passing references to a main theme of her husband’s tempestuous First Violin Sonata. Amazingly, the author of this passionately Romantic music once stated that “Women are not born to compose.”

Photograph by Sophie Zhai

About Timothy Judd

A native of Upstate New York, Timothy Judd has been a member of the Richmond Symphony violin section since 2001. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he earned the degrees Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, studying with world renowned Ukrainian-American violinist Oleh Krysa.

The son of public school music educators, Timothy Judd began violin lessons at the age of four through Eastman’s Community Education Division. He was a student of Anastasia Jempelis, one of the earliest champions of the Suzuki method in the United States.

A passionate teacher, Mr. Judd has maintained a private violin studio in the Richmond area since 2002 and has been active coaching chamber music and numerous youth orchestra sectionals.

In his free time, Timothy Judd enjoys working out with Richmond’s popular SEAL Team Physical Training program.

1 thought on “Clara Schumann “Romances for Violin and Piano”: Stefan Jackiw”

  1. Exceptionally beautiful. Clara was a great musician, and a real composer. Both women and men should compose – Love is music!

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