Schumann's Shoebox

[Florestan]

You need more Schumann in your life.  He was a quirky guy like yourself, I would think that he could potentially be your soulmate composer.

You need all of the concertos, chamber music and all the piano music.......as a start!

Seconded.

Hey, snyprrr, get his Violin Concerto... you know, the one whose main theme was whispered to him by angels. 

[Que]

I just think Que has an issue with BAT in general, regardless of composer.  Me thinks if BAT were HIP (a HIP BAT), he would think they were the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Well, yes and no. Although I don't hold the BAT in the same esteem as (many) others - apparently a sensitive matter for which I've here occassionally been snubbed at - I do treasure their 1st Beethoven recordings (1965, still with Daniel Guilet) and have enjoyed their Schubert recordings (1969). Things moved in a for me less satisfactory way after that.

I would love more period instrument recordings of Schumann's chamber music! La Gaia Scienza's (Winter & Winter) rendition of the piano quintet rocks, their recording of the piano quartet is unfortunately spoiled in a Uri Cane mix.

Q

[snyprrr]

I was listening to the oboe piece, the clarinet piece, the viola piece, etc., and, is it right to say that Schumann was the first real Romantic Composer?(Chopin?), meaning, he seems to be writing fantasy pieces, or, stream of consciousness pieces, rather than strict sonata-form type pieces? Where performance practice issues begin to become a Romantic/Interpretive issue(rubato)?

I'm just thinking that the technology for freedom of expression wasn't around in Schumann's day. Wouldn't he have benefitted from all the 20th Century's innovations, in terms of giving life to his imagination?

I feel like I'm on a Mozart/Schubert/Mendelssohn/Schumann/Brahms/Saint-Saens/Dvorak Chamber Music Goose Chase, trying to find my fit. I'm listening on YouTube, trying not to have a fit of CDCDCD. I just don't know if I'm up for the Romantic Era.

[Scarpia]

I was listening to the oboe piece, the clarinet piece, the viola piece, etc., and, is it right to say that Schumann was the first real Romantic Composer?(Chopin?), meaning, he seems to be writing fantasy pieces, or, stream of consciousness pieces, rather than strict sonata-form type pieces? Where performance practice issues begin to become a Romantic/Interpretive issue(rubato)?

That's hardly a criteria.  Mozart also wrote fantasies (typically for piano solo) and I don't see anyone calling him the first romantic composer.

[Coopmv]

Anything in HIP here Gurn?

Bill,

This mega DG box I bought last October, which is still in shrink-wrap, has all the Schumann Symphonies conducted by John Eliot Gardiner.  They should be interesting as I already have many different versions of Schumann 4 Symphonies but they are all non-HIP ...

[abidoful]

Technically Mendelssohn was the first big Romantic.

[DavidW]

Technically Mendelssohn was the first big Romantic.

What about Schubert?

[abidoful]

What about Schubert?

Schubert definately has much a romantic in him  but he  had still strong ties to classisicm (was a pupil of Salier) Maybe he was 3/4 romantic and 1/4 a classicist. Or the other way around. In a way he was a "bridge" between classicism and romanticism. But so was also Beethoven in many ways Well, sometimes it is difficult to "nametag" an artist. It's also difficult later in music history with composers like Sibelius, Scriabin and Szymanowski who are sometimes considered either "romantics" or "modernists". Sometimes it is really a matter of intrepetation.

[snyprrr]

Just pointing out an interesting and promising looking new issue!
Would this finally be a satisfying complete piano trios set? (And yes, I definitely don't regard the Beaux Arts recording as such...)



Q

As to Tetzlaff, I just saw that Gringolts does the PTs and VSs,... the samples indicate a hearty personality, what do you think? I say this also in response the the apparent fawning over the Widmann/ECM set.

Also, whatchall think about the Zehetmair SQ/ECM disc?

[Coopmv]

Schubert definately has much a romantic in him  but he  had still strong ties to classisicm (was a pupil of Salier) Maybe he was 3/4 romantic and 1/4 a classicist. Or the other way around. In a way he was a "bridge" between classicism and romanticism. But so was also Beethoven in many ways Well, sometimes it is difficult to "nametag" an artist. It's also difficult later in music history with composers like Sibelius, Scriabin and Szymanowski who are sometimes considered either "romantics" or "modernists". Sometimes it is really a matter of intrepetation.

Richard Wagner may be the biggest romantic ...

[DavidW]

Richard Wagner may be the biggest romantic ...

I think he was actually kind of short...

[abidoful]

Richard Wagner may be the biggest romantic ...

Agreed. In a  b-i-g-g-e-r  t-h-a-n  l-i-f-e  sort of dimensions.

[snyprrr]

Schumann,... however!!

[abidoful]

Take it easy...

[snyprrr]

Take it easy...

I'd still like to keep RS in the current Top5. So far, Schumann's Chamber Music is speaking to me a little more than Brahms (does Brahms seem to much like a stern schoolteacher compared to RS?). Maybe Brahms has the 'everything perfect' effect, whereas Schumann has the quirks?

[abidoful]

(does Brahms seem to much like a stern schoolteacher compared to RS?). Maybe Brahms has the 'everything perfect' effect, whereas Schumann has the quirks?

I don't know... hm....I have had some issues with Schumann- like with bananas, but i'm not going in to that now - I used to throw up when ever I thought about Schumann (!). His music seemed so excessively sweet. There wasn't that kind of ice-queenish quality of Chopin, or his masculinity. His music scented irritatingly like home made buns...

Later his music has charmed me, won me over so to speak and I think it was INDEED HIS CHAMBER MUSIC that made it. Especially the slow movement of the Piano Quartet which in this very day IMO is one of the most achingly beatiful slow movements.
Yeah I have come to appreciate this unique, open, naked, lyrical and fragile way of his music.

[snyprrr]

His music scented irritatingly like home made buns...

hahahahaha!!!!!

[Brian]

In the recent interview posted elsewhere, Polish conductor Antoni Wit says that his Schumann CDs (the four symphonies, piano concerto, Scenes from Faust) are among the proudest achievements of his career.

[eyeresist]

Richard Wagner may be the biggest romantic ...

Apparently Delius was the tallest composer. Probably not the heaviest, though. Jan Ladislav Dussek was probably the fattest - couldn't reach the keyboard by the end, apparently.

Massively OT, sorry.

[Scarpia]

Apparently Delius was the tallest composer. Probably not the heaviest, though. Jan Ladislav Dussek was probably the fattest - couldn't reach the keyboard by the end, apparently.

Rossini was the fattest, I thought.  There are supposedly two version of a certain Aria, because he dropped the paper and couldn't pick it up, so he had to start over.