Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto

On September 12, 1840, thanks to their loyalty and determination, the epic of Robert and Clara Schumann, the lovers, ended happily. That day, they were married at the small church of Schönefeld, near Leipzig. Out of sheer joy, the following year Robert wrote two symphonies, the marriage's first daughter was born, and the composer wrote the outlines for what will later become his Piano Concerto in A minor.

Clara on tour
Despite the fact that his catalog of musical compositions kept growing day by day, Robert Schumann still did not obtain recognition from the general public. For her part, Clara did not stop working offering recitals throughout Europe, occasions when, by the way, she would make known her husband's works.

Robert Schumann
(1810 - 1856)

In 1842, Robert decided to accompany Clara to a recital in Weimar, where the famous pianist idolized by the public had been invited. It was the first time that Clara's husband had to answer a question that should not be asked.

"And you, are you also a musician?
The question, made more out of courtesy than — for the worse — out of genuine concern, became habitual and began to make Robert uncomfortable. So when, a little later, Copenhagen called for Clara's presence for a two-month tour of Denmark, Robert preferred to stay at home and Clara set out on the journey by herself.

Upon return, they continued to be the happy couple they will be their entire life.

Clara Schumann
(1819 - 1896)

Piano Concerto in A minor
In 1845 Robert Schumann took up the 1841 sketches, originally a one-movement fantasy for piano and orchestra, and saw that they were good. He added two movements to the fantasy project and thus built his first and only piano concerto, premiered, unsurprisingly, by the brilliant Clara on January 1, 1846, in Leipzig.

The rendition is by the wonderful Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, accompanied by the Radio Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi, in a performing given in the German town of Wiesbaden, August 2012. At the end, Khatia gives us as an encore, Liszt's Love Dream No. 3.

Below, a listening guide:

The concert lasts about 30 minutes and is in three movements. Schumann, as Mendelssohn, tended to connect the movements of some of his works together. In this case, the second movement links to the third without interruption. The solo piano interventions are difficult and elaborate but, as usual in Schumann, they never become orphan exhibitions of musical sense or passages of pure brilliance.

Movements:
Allegro affettuoso. The piano comes into action simultaneously with the orchestra, introducing the first theme, which is then repeated by the piano solo, allowing us to perceive the intense Chopinian aroma of the motif. A second theme includes beautiful passages for the solo piano, interrupted by beautiful clarinet passages. At the end, after a furious passage of chords at high speed, Khatia attacks the opening theme with her left hand while over it she plays a long trill with her right, which leads to a final coda that brilliantly closes the movement.

Intermezzo - andantino grazioso (15:45) The Chopin world returns, represented by a beautiful phrasing of the piano, accompanied by a serene orchestral background. Afterwards, the cellos pick up a variation of the melody and the piano adorns it with arpeggios. An allusion to the first theme of the first movement serves as a bridge to address the execution of the third, without pause.

Allegro vivace (20:55) Supported by two brilliant songs, syncopated, the piano covers almost restlessly a wide expanse of the keyboard. Before the end, Khatia repeats the subtlety of the prolonged trill. A coda based on the first theme will lead to a brilliant ending.