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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Aram Khachaturian: Symphony No. 3 · Suite No. 3
Robert Schumann, Frank Beermann
Classical - Lançado por CPO em 17 de abr. de 2023
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Robert Schumann: "Kreisleriana" & "Waldszenen"
Robert Schumann, Valery Afanassiev
Classical - Lançado por Denon em 1 de jan. de 2010
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Kancheli: A Little Daneliade, Valse Boston, 18 Miniatures & Largo & Allegro
Elisaveta Blumina, Hartmut Schill, Robert Schumann
Classical - Lançado por Capriccio em 3 de nov. de 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Carnaval
Classical - Lançado por Odradek Records em 17 de mar. de 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schumann - Janáček - Berg
Chamber Music - Lançado por Wigmore Hall Live em 10 de jun. de 2014
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30 Must-Have Cello Romances
Classical - Lançado por Cobra Entertainment LLC em 17 de dez. de 2013
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Pfitzner: Die Rose vom Liebesgarten
Opera - Lançado por CPO em 23 de jun. de 2017
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Wetzler, H.H.: Visionen / Assisi
Robert Schumann, Frank Beermann
Classical - Lançado por CPO em 27 de out. de 2009
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Clara, Robert, Johannes: Atmosphere and Mastery
Alexander Shelley, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra
Classical - Lançado por Les Productions Analekta Inc. em 24 de mar. de 2023
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Schumann - Inspiring Classics
Classical - Lançado por UME - Global Clearing House em 7 de out. de 2022
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Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op 54 / Franz Schubert: Fantasy in F Minor, D. 940 / Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite, Op. 40
Classical - Lançado por RHI em 31 de out. de 2016
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Cello
Classical - Lançado por Cobra Entertainment LLC em 11 de nov. de 2014
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From Leipzig to Madrid: Piano Works by Schumann & Arzamendi
Noemí Teruel Serrano, Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, Beatriz Arzamendi
Classical - Lançado por Novus Promusica em 2 de mai. de 2023
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Schumann: The Complete Works for Piano, Vol. 4
Classical - Lançado por Claves Records em 1 de mar. de 2010
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Clarinet Trios: Schumann; Bruch; Mozart
Leif Arne Pedersen, Henninge Landaas, Gonzalo Moreno
Classical - Lançado por Lawo Classics em 15 de abr. de 2019
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Grandi Pianisti Clara Haskil
Clara Haskil, Robert Schumann, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Classical - Lançado por UME - Global Clearing House em 21 de mai. de 2021
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Horowitz plays Schumann
Vladimir Horowitz, Robert Schumann
Classical - Lançado por UME - Global Clearing House em 3 de set. de 2022
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Opus Schumann
Classical - Lançado por UME - Global Clearing House em 12 de set. de 2020
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Schumann - Great Recordings
Classical - Lançado por UME - Global Clearing House em 7 de jun. de 2021
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Robert Schumann: Violin Concerto in D Minor - Franz Schubert: Concerto, Polonaise, Rondo
Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Emmanuel Krivine, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann
Classical - Lançado por Denon em 1 de jan. de 2010
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