Jan Vogler presents a revealing reading of Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 with his own orchestra, the Dresden Festival Orchestra, that consists of more than 50 members from Europe’s most renowned early music ensembles, under the baton of its musical director Ivor Bolton. Exploring Schumann’s “original sound”, Jan Vogler plays on gut strings and the orchestra on period instruments. The concerto connects the Dresden Music Festival and its orchestra to the productive Dresden period of Schumann’s work (1844-50) since Schumann composed the cello concerto immediately after he had left the city.
Pure Schumann! Robert Schumann – The Solo Concertos
Who would have thought to hear the Freiburger Barockorchester playing Schumann? At the end of a long journey from Baroque to Romanticism the FBO and Pablo Heras Casado perform the three great solo concertos by Robert Schumann and his rarely heared “Ouvertüre, Scherzo und Finale” op. 52. Isabelle Faust, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexander Melnikov. More than being exceptional soloists, Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov and Jean-Guihen Queyras all three are members of the same trio and this experience will not fail to give their interpretation homogeneity and absolutely unprecedented scale. A unique concert recording from Berlin Philharmonic Hall: Pure Schumann! Length: 99’ (17’ / 28’ / 26’ / 28’ ).
Nelsons conducts Mendelssohn & Schumann
Andris Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester bring a programme rich in Leipzig’s unrivalled musical heritage to the Seoul Arts Center. Felix Mendelssohn, one of Nelsons’s celebrated predecessors as Gewandhauskapellmeister, is represented by his concert overture “Die schöne Melusine” and his atmospheric Symphony No. 3 “Scottish”, inspired by his travels in Britain in 1829 and premiered at the Gewandhaus in 1842. Three years later, Robert Schumann completed his piano concerto, one of the most popular concertos in the repertoire, and that work completes the programme here, performed by Seong-Jin Cho, one of the most celebrated pianists of his generation. PROGRAM Schumann:
Hélène Grimaud plays Mozart and Schumann at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Mozart did not write many works in minor tonalities, but those that he did were particularly impactful. They are also the ones that French pianist Hélène Grimaud most enjoys spending time with because they “provide a glimpse behind the mask of jollity that surrounds many of his famous works.” Selecting pieces that are all in minor keys yet composed during intensely creative periods in both Mozart’s and Schumann’s careers, Grimaud takes an insightful look at the composers and their popularity at the time. Grimaud’s performance in the beautiful hall of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie is a symbolic representation of an encounter with fate, where drama and tragedy meet, and an apt reminder that not all is as it seems. PROGRAM Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466; Symphony No. 40, K. 550; Schumann: Piano Concerto, Op. 54; Silvestrov: The Messenger (For Piano solo)
Ivor Bolton conducts the Dresden Festival Orchestra
This glamerous concert opened the prestigious Dresden Music Festival 2019. Together with Dresden-born singer René Pape the Dresden Festival Orchestra under the baton of Ivor Bolton dived deeply into the romantic repertoire. Highlight of the evening was the world premiere of songs by Franz Schubert arranged for bass and orchestra, including “Prometheus“ D 674 as well as songs from the cycle “Schwanengesang“: Das Fischermädchen, Am Meer, Die Stadt, Der Doppelgänger, Ihr Bild, Der Atlas and An die Musik. Preceeding is Carl Maria von Weber’s overture to his opera “Euryanthe”, which during his lifetime had no easy lot: the music was greatly praised, the libretto however was laughed at. The spring-like first symphony by Robert Schumann was drafted in only four days and written out in three weeks – in a blissful stage of his life shortly after his marriage to Clara Wieck.
Nelsons conducts Clara and Robert Schumann
Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto is the composer’s only surviving work with orchestra. She herself premiered the concerto at age sixteen with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. Although contemporaries describe the young Clara as shy and reserved, this concert is full of self-confidence, power, and romantic feelings. On the occasion of the jubilee anniversary of Clara Schumann the concerto was recorded with the ensemble that first performed the work. The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig played on her 200th birthday under the baton of Kapellmeister Andris Nelsons. The pianist Lauma Skride took over the technically demanding piano part. The festive concert evening was framed by a world premiere of French composer Betsy Jolas (*1926) and the famous Spring Symphony by Robert Schumann.
LSO: Kevin John Edusei conducts Mendelssohn & Schumann
German conductor Kevin John Edusei is regularly praised for the drama and tension that he brings to his music-making, and for his clear sense of architecture and attention to detail. In October 2020 he made his London Symphony Orchestra debut and leads the orchestra in a beautiful performance of the suite from Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Boulanger’s “D’un matin de printemps” and Schumann’s ‘Spring’ Symphony.
RCO: Hrusa conducts Schumann, Dvorák and Suk
Yunchan Lim was the youngest ever winner of the legendary Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022. Now, at the age of twenty-one, he is making his Concertgebouw Orchestra debut in Robert Schumann’s one and only Piano Concerto. The dreamy slow movement of this Romantic work is among the most beautiful Schumann ever composed. After the interval, the conductor Jakub Hruša guides us through his native Czech Republic with symphonic poems by two renowned fellow countrymen. In The Wild Dove, Dvorak tells a story full of passion, murder and all-consuming guilt in a village community. When Dvorak died in the spring of 1904, his pupil and son-in-law Josef Suk happened to be working on Prague, a symphonic ode to the city of Prague. The epic work would also become a homage to his mentor. PROGRAM Schumann: Piano Concerto; Dvorak: The Wild Dove; Suk: Prague