Love and chance in play with Schumann and Brahms

Giovanni Consort’s “Games of Love and Chance” recital paired two Schumann-and-Brahms song cycles at South Perth and Nedlands this weekend, drawing on each composer’s romantic inspiration while both remained devoted to Clara Schumann. The program opened with Robert Schumann’s “Spanisches Liederspiel,” performed by soprano Erin Bussanich, alto Stephanie Thyer, tenor Keaton Staszewski-Hose, and bass David Woods, with pianist Adrian Soares. Highlights included “Erste Begegnung,” “Liebesgram,” and “Ich bin geliebt,” followed by an interval where Soares played an A major “Intermezzo” to bridge into Brahms. The article notes Brahms’s “Zigeunerlieder” contrast, using Hungarian sources and more florid lines.