Pianist Martin Helmchen, born in Berlin in 1982, won the Clara Haskil Competition in 2001, which gave his career its first major impulse.
Compositional Technique
The Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13, despite their virtuosity, are not merely finger exercises but studies in suggesting orchestral effects on the piano.
Cultural Impact
Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray features the character Dorian Gray playing Schumann's Waldszenen, Op. 82, describing them as 'perfectly charming'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Robert Schumann believed that music, especially the piano, could express higher emotions and reflect everything happening in the world, including politics and literature.
Composition History
The Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13, were inspired by a theme composed by Ignaz Ferdinand Freiherr von Fricken, an amateur musician and adoptive father of Ernestine von Fricken, with whom Schumann had a secret engagement.
Composition History
Robert Schumann's Arabeske, Op. 18, composed in Vienna around 1838, is in a classic rondo form and is described by Schumann as 'weiblich' (feminine) in style.
Performer Biography
Martin Helmchen has been awarded the Crédit Suisse Young Artist Award and the ECHO Klassik, the latter jointly with cellist Danjulo Ishizaka as 'up-and-coming artist of the year'.
