IDAGIO | Schumann: Manfred: Overture - Piano Concerto - Overture, Scherzo and Finale 747313121472

Featuring

Gerard Schwarz
Bella Davidovich
Seattle Symphony
Robert Schumann

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Composition History

Schumann created a music-theater piece based on Byron's Manfred in 1848-49, stating he had never devoted himself to a composition with such love and energy.

Composer Biography

Robert Schumann, born in 1810, came of age with the Romantic movement and his music is deeply imbued with its passionate spirit.

Composition History

Schumann's Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54, underwent a long creative process, with the first movement completed in 1841 and the remaining two in 1845.

Compositional Technique

Schumann links the three movements of his Piano Concerto with subtle thematic echoes, deriving most of the first movement from a single theme.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Schumann, a very literate person, often drew inspiration from writers of his day, such as the English poet Lord Byron, whose verse drama Manfred influenced Schumann's music-theater piece.

Composer Biography

Schumann's wife, Clara Schumann, was a highly accomplished musician and one of the great pianists of her time, who championed his music widely.

Performer Biography

Bella Davidovich, the pianist on this recording, was a preeminent artist in the Soviet Union and won First Prize in the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1949.