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While Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was one of the most prominent
musical figures of the Romantic Era, his romanticism stemmed from a deeper root than the century he lived in. His entire life was filled with endless struggles, coupled with endless love. He lost a few family members rather early; acquired a serious hand injury that ended his dream of becoming a concert pianist; was rejected by his wife’s father who bitterly opposed his marriage proposal; and suffered from long-term mental illnesses that ultimately contributed to his death. Yet on the “bright side,” he developed a long-lasting love relationship with Clara Wieck Schumann, whom he married in 1840 after overcoming a legal battle with her father. The romantic sentiments that he felt for Clara were often reflected in the composer’s music.
This disc is titled “Romance at the Piano” because the three sets of piano works presented are all reflective of Schumann’s romanticism, each in a slightly different way. Kinderszenen, Op. 15, is a set of 13 short pieces composed in 1838, each with a descriptive title that the composer added later as “hints for interpretation.” In a letter to Clara, Schumann described Kinderszenen as “peaceful, tender, and happy, like our future,” revealing Schumann’s romantic and poetic visions of his married life with Clara and their children. Kreisleriana, Op. 16, written in 1840, was named after a fictional character, Kreisler, who was introduced by the poet E. T. A. Hoffmann. The range of musical expressions displayed in the eight pieces reminds the audience of the two imaginary characters Schumann had introduced in his Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6
musical figures of the Romantic Era, his romanticism stemmed from a deeper root than the century he lived in. His entire life was filled with endless struggles, coupled with endless love. He lost a few family members rather early; acquired a serious hand injury that ended his dream of becoming a concert pianist; was rejected by his wife’s father who bitterly opposed his marriage proposal; and suffered from long-term mental illnesses that ultimately contributed to his death. Yet on the “bright side,” he developed a long-lasting love relationship with Clara Wieck Schumann, whom he married in 1840 after overcoming a legal battle with her father. The romantic sentiments that he felt for Clara were often reflected in the composer’s music.
This disc is titled “Romance at the Piano” because the three sets of piano works presented are all reflective of Schumann’s romanticism, each in a slightly different way. Kinderszenen, Op. 15, is a set of 13 short pieces composed in 1838, each with a descriptive title that the composer added later as “hints for interpretation.” In a letter to Clara, Schumann described Kinderszenen as “peaceful, tender, and happy, like our future,” revealing Schumann’s romantic and poetic visions of his married life with Clara and their children. Kreisleriana, Op. 16, written in 1840, was named after a fictional character, Kreisler, who was introduced by the poet E. T. A. Hoffmann. The range of musical expressions displayed in the eight pieces reminds the audience of the two imaginary characters Schumann had introduced in his Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6