María Cristina Kier and Alejandro Sarmentero - Fui peregrina feliz: Maria Elena Walsh Meets Robert Schumann (2025) [Hi-Res]

This project stems from the almost utopian desire of the artists to connect two great and admired artists: María Elena Walsh and Robert Schumann. Despite the distance in time and geography that separates them, exploring their poetic and musical worlds reveals a profound connection between the two. In this recording, Walsh’s most iconic songs are interwoven with the romantic and lyrical style of Schumann. The touching parallels between Schumann’s “Der Nussbaum” and “Mein Garten” and Walsh’s “Canción del Jacarandá” and “Canción del Jardinero” reveal a shared inspiration and sensitivity toward the language of nature. Similarly, the surreal poetry and magic of the sea resonate in both “Die Meerfee” and “Canción del Pescador.” “In der Fremde” and “Serenata para la tierra de uno” reflect a longing for homeland and the conflicted, ambivalent relationship with one’s native land. Alejandro Sarmentero has deeply studied Schumann’s style in order to capture the essence of his music and translate that aesthetic into the songs of María Elena Walsh. In some pieces, Schumann’s piano accompaniments are adopted literally; in others, his characteristic patterns and harmonies of Romanticism serve as inspiration. Just as Schumann described his Kinderszenen, Op. 15, as a “reflection of an older person for older people,” this new interpretation of María Elena Walsh’s work– especially her children’s songs–reimagines them as memories for grown-ups, evoking the nostalgia of those who, upon hearing them, return to childhood through adult eyes.