Despite having to endure many challenges and tragedies, not least her husband Robert’s attempted suicide and breakdown in 1854, and the death of four of her eight children, Clara Schumann (née Wieck) was one of the very few artists, either male or female, to be considered the technical equal of Liszt. At the age of 14, Clara began composing the Piano Concerto in A Minor which she performed two years later with the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra conducted by Felix Mendelssohn. The work combines virtuosity with lyricism, while avoiding the “showmanship” that she felt was inherent in the music of her male contemporaries.