The great German Romantic composer, Robert Schumann was born on June 8, 1810 in Zwickau, Saxony. Schumann's music was immediately accepted as central to the classical canon and has stayed popular ever since, although these days it may not be played as often as in the mid-20th century, when pieces like Carnival, Symphonic Studies, and Fantasy in C seemed practically obligatory in piano recitals. A large portion of Schumann's music was written for piano solo – his first composition for an instrument other than piano didn't come till 1840, ten years since Variations on the name "Abegg" Op. 1 (it was Liederkreis, Op. 24, a song cycle on nine poems by Heinrich Heine). Schumann's first symphony came the following year, and a set of quartets – a year later.
Schumann's music needs no introduction, so we'll just present pieces from the different periods of his career. We'll start at the beginning: Variations on the name "Abegg," Op. 1. It's played by the brilliant Taiwanese pianist Jung Lin. Next is the piece that followed, Papillons Op. 2, performed by the pianist Tanya Gabrielian. Ms. Gabrielian was born in the US but currently lives in London. Following these two early pieces we'll play a much later work, Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70 (1849). It was originally written for the horn and piano, but these days it's usually heard in the arrangements for the viola or cello. You'll hear it performed by the Milan-based Duo Lopez Cafiero, the cellist Martina Lopez and the pianist Clelia Cafiero. Schumann wrote a large number of vocal works, as a lied composer he's on par with Schubert. We'll hear one of his most famous songs, Widmung, Op. 25, No. 1, the opening piece from the cycle Myrthen, his wedding present to Clara Wieck. It is sung by the soprano Hyunah Yu, with Alon Goldstein on the piano. We'll finish with one of his last compositions, Märchenerzählungen (Fairy tales), Op. 132, a trio for the clarinet, viola, and piano. It was written in 1853, three years before Schumann's death, when he was already deeply ill (the following year he would voluntarily enter a mental hospital). The performers are Trio di Colore. To listen, click here.
June 6, 2011
The great German Romantic composer, Robert Schumann was born on June 8, 1810 in Zwickau, Saxony. Schumann's music was immediately accepted as central to the classical canon and has stayed popular ever since, although these days it may not be played as often as in the mid-20th century, when pieces like Carnival, Symphonic Studies, and Fantasy in C seemed practically obligatory in piano recitals. A large portion of Schumann's music was written for piano solo – his first composition for an instrument other than piano didn't come till 1840, ten years since Variations on the name "Abegg" Op. 1 (it was Liederkreis, Op. 24, a song cycle on nine poems by Heinrich Heine). Schumann's first symphony came the following year, and a set of quartets – a year later.
Schumann's music needs no introduction, so we'll just present pieces from the different periods of his career. We'll start at the beginning: Variations on the name "Abegg," Op. 1. It's played by the brilliant Taiwanese pianist Jung Lin. Next is the piece that followed, Papillons Op. 2, performed by the pianist Tanya Gabrielian. Ms. Gabrielian was born in the US but currently lives in London. Following these two early pieces we'll play a much later work, Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70 (1849). It was originally written for the horn and piano, but these days it's usually heard in the arrangements for the viola or cello. You'll hear it performed by the Milan-based Duo Lopez Cafiero, the cellist Martina Lopez and the pianist Clelia Cafiero. Schumann wrote a large number of vocal works, as a lied composer he's on par with Schubert. We'll hear one of his most famous songs, Widmung, Op. 25, No. 1, the opening piece from the cycle Myrthen, his wedding present to Clara Wieck. It is sung by the soprano Hyunah Yu, with Alon Goldstein on the piano. We'll finish with one of his last compositions, Märchenerzählungen (Fairy tales), Op. 132, a trio for the clarinet, viola, and piano. It was written in 1853, three years before Schumann's death, when he was already deeply ill (the following year he would voluntarily enter a mental hospital). The performers are Trio di Colore. To listen, click here.