The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music (NPR Curious Listener's Guide To...) by Tim Smith

Author:Tim Smith [Smith, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, pdf
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2002-08-05T16:00:00+00:00

Robert Schumann (1810-1856): The German composer managed to produce some of the most important works of the Romantic era despite repeated bouts of depression; a freakish hand injury that destroyed any chance for a career as a pianist (he used a contraption to strengthen his hands and only succeeded in dislocating a finger); a protracted, eventually legal, battle over his attempt to marry the daughter of his piano teacher; and a suicide attempt. (In the end, he succumbed to mental illness.)

Schumann’s music revealed a passionate streak that found abundant outlet in his four symphonies. His vocal music ascended poetic heights; after Schubert, he was the most gifted lieder composer (Widrnung and the song cycle Dichterliebe illustrate this superbly). His solo-piano music, notably Carnaval, is rich in character and technical panache. Although he wasn’t able to perform as a pianist (his wife Clara, an exceptional keyboard talent, championed his works), Schumann understood the instrument intuitively and helped widen its scope.

His chamber works are of great quality, notably the Quintet for Piano and Strings; his Piano Concerto is among the noblest in the repertoire. Schumann helped to found an important music journal in Germany and was a perceptive, provocative critic, one of the first to recognize in print the genius of Chopin and Brahms.

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