Robert Schumann
One of the great composers of the 19th century, Schumann was the quintessential artist whose life and work embodied the idea of Romanticism in music. Schumann was uncomfortable with larger musical forms, such as the symphony and the concerto (nevertheless, representative works in these genres contain moments of great beauty), expressing the full range of his lyrical genius in songs and short pieces for piano. Schumann's extraordinary ability to translate profound, delicate -- and sometimes fleeting -- states of the soul is exemplified by works such as the song cycle Dichterliebe (A Poet's Love), after Heinrich Heine, and his brilliant collections of short piano pieces, including Phantasiestücke (Fantastic Pieces), Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), and Waldszenen (Forest Scenes). As other critics have observed, Schumann attained the elusive union of music and poetry which Romantic poets and musicians defined as the ultimate goal of art.
Schumann's father was a bookseller who encouraged Robert's musical and literary talents. Robert started studying piano at age 10. In 1828, he enrolled at the University of Leipzig as a law student, although he found music, philosophy, and Leipzig's taverns more interesting than the law. He also began studies with a prominent Leipzig piano teacher, Friedrich Wieck. There was serious mental illness in Schumann's family, and the composer, who most likely suffered from a manic-depressive condition, approached madness with the typical Romantic combination of fear and fascination. A compulsive womanizer and a heavy drinker, Schumann led a life that aggravated his psychological problems. His efforts to become a concert pianist failed after he developed partial paralysis of his right hand. According to a conventional story, the injury resulted from Schumann's compulsive use of a finger-strengthening device, but newer research points to mercury poisoning due to treatment for syphilis. Schumann settled on a career as a composer and musical writer, co-founding the influential Neue Zeitschrift für Musik and attracting attention early with his prophetic praise of Chopin. Many of his articles take the form of dialogues featuring the "League of David," young artists fighting the "Philistines," and headed by his alter egos "Florestan" and "Eusebius," intended to represent the two contrasting facets -- one ebullient, the other reserved -- of his personality. Schumann's music, with its sharp changes in mood, also reflects his tumultuous inner life. Wieck's highly talented pianist daughter Clara grew up and fell in love with Schumann, much to her father's horror. Despite Wieck's opposition, Clara and Robert gained the legal right to marry in 1840, a day before Clara's 21st birthday. During this period, Schumann composed feverishly. Spellbound by a musical thought, he would work himself to exhaustion, enthusiastically cultivating a particular genre for a period of time. (For instance, 1841 was a "year of songs" in which he brought the Romantic song cycle to its apex). He virtually invented the short, poetic, descriptive Romantic piano work, and produced such works in glorious profusion in the late 1830s. Schumann tackled larger forms in the 1840s, partly at Clara's urging; his four mature symphonies retain a place in the repertoire, but his opera Genoveva failed. He held several musical jobs, teaching at the newly founded Leipzig Conservatory, eventually becoming town music director in Düsseldorf, but without much success. On February 27, 1854, he threw himself into the freezing waters of the Rhine. After his rescue, he voluntarily entered an asylum. Although he had periods of lucidity, his condition deteriorated, and he died there in 1856, probably of tertiary syphilis.
© Zoran Minderovic /TiVo
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The Classical Collection - Schumann - Leyendas Románticas
Symphonieorchester von Radio Ljubljana, Slowacki Philharmonia, Sylvia Capova
Klassik - Erschienen bei ClassicalPirosDigital am 10.06.2015
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Schumann
Jónas Ingimundarson, Kristinn Sigmundsson, Robert Schumann
Klassik - Erschienen bei Alda Music am 01.01.2005
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The Bride from Messina Ouverüre, Op. 100
Klassik - Erschienen bei Carinco AG am 08.02.2006
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Scenes from Childhood, Op. 15
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Oregan Publishing am 01.01.2018
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Schumann: Carnaval for Piano Op.9 - (2) Eusebius-Florestan-Coquette-Replique
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei www.kuk-art.com - Josef-Stefan Kindler and Andreas Otto Grimminger am 01.08.2010
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Schumann: Overture Manfred, Op. 115 - Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 (Live)
Instrumentalmusik - Erschienen bei VDE-GALLO am 16.02.2010
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Harro Ruijsenaars & Paul Komen
Klassik - Erschienen bei CDklassisk am 30.04.2013
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Schumann Piano Works
Klassik - Erschienen bei CDklassisk am 27.10.2013
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Schumann Lieder - Mozart Arias
Christian Boesch, Bien S. P. Panganiban
Oper - Erschienen bei Americus Records, Inc. am 05.02.2014
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Schumann and Brahms
Klassik - Erschienen bei Blue Griffin Recording, Inc. am 13.11.2015
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Schumann: The Complete Works for Piano, Vol. 1
Klassik - Erschienen bei Claves Records am 01.01.2006
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Schumann: Introduction and Allegro, Op. 134 (Digitally Remastered)
Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Ilmar Lapinsch, Svetlana Botanina
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 17.02.2015
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Schumann: Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 97 (Digitally Remastered)
Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra, Peter Lilye
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 17.02.2015
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Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15, No. 4 "Bittendes Kind" (Digitally Remastered)
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 17.02.2015
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Robert Schumann: Three Sonaatas for Violin and Piano
Jennifer Frautschi, John Blacklow
Klassik - Erschienen bei Albany Records am 01.05.2014
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Schumann: Album for the Young, Op. 68, No. 2 "Soldatenmarsch" (Digitally Remastered)
Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Riga Radio Choir, Ilmar Lapinsch
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 17.02.2015
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Schumann: Panis Angelicus (Digitally Remastered)
Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Riga Radio Choir, Ilmar Lapinsch
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 17.02.2015
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Grand Piano Masters - The Legend of Dombra
Klassik - Erschienen bei K&K Verlagsanstalt am 01.11.2009
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Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 14 (Digitally Remastered)
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 17.02.2015
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Schumann: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 54 (Digitally Remastered)
Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Bystrík Režucha, Marian Lapsansky
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 17.02.2015
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A Schumann Fantasy
Klassik - Erschienen bei Summit Records am 01.01.1993
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