John Eliot Gardiner and the London Symphony Orchestra continue their Schumann cycle with the composer's First and Third Symphonies. The First is a joyful celebration of spring, while the Third – the "Rhenish" – draws inspiration from the Rhineland around Schumann's Düsseldorf home, particularly the cathedral in Cologne. The Manfred Overture rounds out the album in elegant style.
Featuring
Sir John Eliot Gardiner
London Symphony Orchestra
Robert Schumann
Did you know?
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Composition History
Schumann's First Symphony, the 'Spring' Symphony, was premiered in 1841 and was a resounding success, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schumann aimed to make abstract music on a symphonic canvas equivalent to poetry or a novel, seeing himself as a successor to Beethoven.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded live in DSD 256fs at the Barbican, London, in February 2019.
Performer Biography
Sir John Eliot Gardiner, the conductor, is a key figure in the early music revival and has founded three ensembles: the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists, and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique.
Critical Reception
Schumann's reputation as an orchestrator suffered from complaints by later conductors, leading to 're-touching' of his symphonies, though Brahms disagreed with this practice.
Historical Context
In Schumann's time, 'Germany' did not exist as a political entity, but rather as a loose federation of German-speaking states, and the idea of a unified German land was a utopian dream.
Composer Biography
Robert Schumann, the composer, was the youngest son of a bookseller and began piano lessons in his hometown of Zwickau at age ten.
