Robert Schumann, CotW, 2-6/4/18

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I prefer these "selective" weeks (where a composer's work over a particular period of their life is focussed upon) to the "full biography" approach, where so often, the Monday edition of juvenilia and early works is eminently missable. This week's "Dusseldorf" focus illustrates just how marvellously varied were Schumann's achievements in his final years - an opportunity either to hear just how muddle-headed were those critics who dismissed the quality of these works, or, of course, to hear for ourselves just how sadly right they were.


(Did I imagine it, or did an unfortunate editing blip in the first programme suggest that Peter Schreier wrote the Op 90 lieder?)

[Serial_Apologist]

I prefer these "selective" weeks (where a composer's work over a particular period of their life is focussed upon) to the "full biography" approach, where so often, the Monday edition of juvenilia and early works is eminently missable. This week's "Dusseldorf" focus illustrates just how marvellously varied were Schumann's achievements in his final years - an opportunity either to hear just how muddle-headed were those critics who dismissed the quality of these works, or, of course, to hear for ourselves just how sadly right they were.

More foreprints of Mahler in today's programme of works previously unknown to me. I'm shallow on Schumann, the mid-91th century not being an area of particular interest (apart from Liszt and Wagner), but the more I hear of his music the fonder I get

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

:I'm shallow on Schumann, the mid-91th century not being an area of particular interest

Now that really is "ahead of his time"!

... the more I hear of his music the fonder I get

[Serial_Apologist]

Now that really is "ahead of his time"!

Woops! Bit of a retrograde step there - fortunately not retrograde inversion!

[Nick Armstrong]

the more I hear of his music the fonder I get

I couldn't agree more. Over the past few years, RS has moved right near the top of my musical affections.

Haven't been able to catch this week's programmes, so a comprehensive catch-up is called for.