Robert Schumann is perhaps best remembered for two things: the sheer number of his compositions, particularly his piano music, produced in his relatively short life; and his passionate and deeply tumultuous relationship with Clara Schumann, née Wieck, his highly accomplished pianist wife. Schumanns life was clouded with episodes of depression and emotional turmoil, to the extent that he spent the last two years of his life in an asylum, tormented by incidents of paranoia and delusion, as well as a fading memory. Despite or maybe because of his turbulent emotional state, Schumann managed to complete hundreds of compositions, from expansive orchestral works to tender Lieder and even a fully fledged opera. Schumann found inspiration at different points in his life to write for different forces. The year 1840 became known as his Lieder year, and among his many inspired compositions was the cycle Frauenliebe und leben, a compelling account of a womans life and love. In 1841, not long after marrying Clara, he was inspired by her encouragement to start writing for orchestra. He composed his first Symphony (Spring) in February of that year, later sketching his Overture, Scherzo and Finale Op.52 in April/May and composing what would become the Piano Concerto in May. In the same year he completed his D minor Symphony, though he wouldnt publish it for another ten years, making it his Fourth. The next year would come to be known as his Chamber Music year; despite struggling with resentment that Claras popularity as a pianist was outstripping his own as a composer, Schumann managed to turn his unhappiness into a productive spell of composition. In February 1842 he began the first two String Quartets, finishing them off in the summer, and in July he composed his third. The Piano Quintet was written in October, and November saw him working on the Piano Quartet. This highly productive period saw the composer exploring a range of styles, with intricate fugues as well as lighter motifs taken from Haydn and Mozart. In 1843 Schumann began working on oratorios, including Das Paradies und die Peri, but his true ambition was to write an opera. Unimpressed with Wagners offerings, Schumann spent a lot of time in thought before settling on the medieval tale of Genoveva for his first operatic work, completed in 1848. The opera is far removed from the vast forces required for Wagner; the work is a scene opera, characterised by recitative style phrasing and a sumptuously lyrical orchestral score. Throughout his life Schumann composed for the piano, inspired at first by his forbidden love for Clara (only receiving permission to marry her in 1840 after a long legal battle). His piano compositions continued well into the latter stages of his life, even during his time in the asylum. 14 of the 45 recordings on this release are dedicated to Schumanns solo piano music, not to mention his intricate writing for the Piano Concerto and piano chamber works. Among the many singers featured are Arleen Auger, one of the most highly regarded sopranos of the 20th century, who performs the magnificent Frauenliebe und leben, as well as Peter Schreier, who focuses on Lieder penned by Heinrich Heine. Newer recordings include Schumanns chamber works, performed by Quartetto Savinio described by La Repubblica as the heirs to the Quartetto Italiano along with Quartetto Klimt and the Daniel Quartet.
L**S
Five Stars
As good as Schumann can be.
R**O
Five Stars
Thanks
A**H
Super value for Money
Review of Schumann EditionI give this boxed set five stars based upon the price of the CDs and the quality of the recorded music. If you are looking for lavish packaging, picturesque CDs and full colour booklets then this set is not for you as all you get is a flimsy box, 45CD’s in identical colour coded (in five sections as below) card covers (each with a track listing), and a short printed essay. There is a comprehensive 80-page set of notes on each CD available to download as a PDF file, which can be printed out or viewed. A full track listing can be printed out from the website and this is vital as it is very hard to find a particular recording without the list.Orchestral WorksThe first five CDs cover all the orchestral works. The first two CDs feature Schumann’s four symphonies in recordings made in the early 1960s in the former DDR (East Germany) by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under Franz Konwitscheny. You will find better recordings of these symphonies especially considering the limited range of recording equipment available at that time in a country that was still part of the Soviet empire. If the rest of this boxed set contained recording of a similar vintage and style it would make a limited, if valuable collection, but fortunately most of the recordings were made in the 21st century. CD 5 contains a super recoding of the Opus 34 Piano Concerto with Peter Frankl at the piano and Janos Furst conducting the Bamburg Symphony Orchestra.String MusicCDs 6 to 14 cover what I would call music for strings, starting with the three string quartets and the piano trios and following on with solo music for cello and the violin sonatas. Unlike the symphonies all of these recordings are new. I am not familiar with this music but from a quick listen to them I find the recordings to be clear and precise and well up with modern standards of recording. They were mostly recorded in Italy in 2014/15.Piano MusicSchumann’s output of piano music was vast and spans fourteen CDs. Most people will be familiar with the “Kreisleriana” (Opus 16) but the rest of the music is rarely heard today. Much of it is what I would call “Coffee Shop” music that sits easily in the background or is heard at its best with a cup of hot chocolate before retiring for the night. That said there are some real gems in the output such as “Papillons” (Opus 2), but like all of the works it takes some finding on CD23. Peter Frankl plays the piano on four of these CDs and the brilliant Klara Wurtz plays the most popular works across another four CDs. The playing of both artists is never less than top notch.SongsSchumann must have written hundreds of songs and there are over 200 in this set spread over five CDs of songs plus four devoted to secular choral music. The songs were recorded in Dresden in the former East Germany in the 1970s with Peter Schreier or Arleen Auger singing and Norman Shetler or Walter Olvertz on piano. Very good recordings considering their age and some fine singing. The choral music featuring the Studio Vocale Karlsruhe was made in the late 1990s in West Germany. Not my sort of thing but seem very pleasant.Opera etcThe last eight CDs are all vocal music. The first four are 1980s vintage Leipzig music of the opera “Genoveva“ and the oratorio “Das Paradies und der Peri” This is followed the “Requiem” (Hungarian State Orchestra); then a modern recording of ”Der Rose Pilgerfahrt” (recorded in Cologne in 2010) and finally comes my favourite of all the CDs being “Scenen auf Goethes Faust” which fills the last two CDs. This recording of “Faust” (the best bits only) was made in 2009 by the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra under Antoni Wit and appears to be the one issued on the Naxos label in 2011, which was well received by the music critics.All in all a pleasure to listen to and at a bargain price you just cannot go wrong with this box.Andrew Smith
G**D
Mieux connaître Schumann,
Paru il y a presque deux ans, ce coffret consacré à Schumann constitue une initiative intéressante. Les 45 cd ne sont bien sûr pas tous égaux mais certains constituent une très agréable surprise. Tout d’abord, la musique orchestrale dirigée par l’immense Franz Konwitschny, est sans doute ce qui se fait de mieux pour Schumann avec notamment une deuxième symphonie dégagée de toute pesanteur et une première qui reste pour moi la référence absolue. Autre bonne surprise, la musique chorale, peu connue du compositeur. La filiation avec Brahms est bien réelle et l’éditeur nous le rappelle avec un lied de ce dernier sur un poème de Schiller (disque 37). Bien ! Ce qui est moins bien, en revanche, ce sont les trois concertos (piano, violon et violoncelle) qui ne sont vraiment pas des références…Les lieder sont bien interprétés même si les amoureux de Schumann préfèreront le petit coffret de Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau enregistré en compagnie de Christoph Eschenbach qui reste incontournable. La musique pour piano seul, très importante chez Schumann, est interprétée par sept pianistes différents. Les interprétations de Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy (que l’on retrouve dans l’intégrale Brahms du même éditeur) et de Peter Frankl sont mes préférées. La musique de chambre est digne d’intérêt mais bien sûr d’autres enregistrements pourront être préférés. Enfin, les œuvres chorales avec orchestre valent beaucoup plus que le détour et l’on retrouve avec émotion Kurt Masur dirigeant « Genoveva ».En conclusion, un coffret (et non une intégrale) qui a le mérite d’exister et qui peut constituer un bon support pour découvrir ou mieux connaître la musique, pas toujours facile, de ce merveilleux musicien.Livret minimaliste (pas de récapitulation des œuvres avec leurs interprètes) et uniquement en anglais.
C**N
Muy buena colección de la "casi totalidad" de las obras de Schumann
Es una colección muy completa pero no es la integral de sus obras (tampoco el vendedor dice que lo sea). Ahora bien, lo que falta es obra "menor". Según he podido comprobar, y salvo error, falta lo siguiente:1828 “Der Fischer”, canción para voz y piano, WoO 191832-1833 Sinfonía en sol menor ("Zwickau") (incompleta), WoO 291840 “Belsazar”, balada para voz y piano, Op. 571840 Dúos (4) para soprano, tenor y piano, Op. 341840 Lieder a Dúo (3), para 2 voces y piano, Op. 431843 Andante y Variaciones para 2 pianos en si bemol Mayor, Op. 461843 Andante y Variaciones para 2 pianos, 2 violoncellos y trompa en si bemol Mayor, WoO 10 (versión original del Op. 46)1845 "Soldatenlied" ("Canción del Soldado"), Lied para voz y piano, WoO 71847 "Hätte zu einem Traubenkerne", Lied para voces masculinas, WoO 121847 "Zum Anfang", Lied para voces masculinas, WoO 171848 Canción de Adviento, para soprano, coro y orquesta (o piano), Op. 711848 “Bilder aus Osten” (“Imágenes orientales”), 6 Impromptus para piano a 4 manos, Op. 661849-1850 “Neujahrslied” (“Canción de Año Nuevo”), para coro y orquesta, Op. 1441849 Dúos (4) para soprano, tenor y piano, Op. 781849 “Mädchenlieder” (“Cantos de doncellas”), 4 duos para soprano, contralto (o 2 sopranos) y piano, Op. 1031849 “Nachtlied” (“Canción Nocturna”), para coro y orquesta, Op. 1081849 “Stücke für kleine und grosse Kinder” (“Piezas para Niños grandes y pequeños”), 12 piezas para piano a 4 manos, Op. 851849 “Schön' Hedwig”, declamación para voz y piano, Op. 1061849 “Verzweifle nicht im Schmerzenstal”, motete para doble coro y órgano (u orquesta), Op. 931849 “Sommerruh”, Lied para 2 voces y piano, WoO 91850-1851 Heitere Gesänge (“Canciones Alegres”), 5 Lieder para voz y piano, Op. 1251850-1851 Obertura para la “Novia de Messina” de Schiller, para orquesta en do menor, Op. 1001850 Lieder (6) (textos de Neun) para voz y piano, Op. 891851-1852 Lieder (6) para voz y piano, Op. 1071851 Ballszenen (“Escenas de Baile”), 9 piezas para piano a 4 manos, Op. 1091851 “Der Königssohn” (“El hijo del rey”), para solistas, coro y orquesta, Op. 1161851 “Husarenlieder” (“Canciones de los húsares”), 4 Lieder para voz y piano, Op. 1171851 Obertura para “Hermann y Dorothea” de Goethe, para orquesta en si menor, Op. 1361851 Obertura para “Julius Caesar” de Shakespeare, para orquesta en fa menor, Op. 1281851 Lieder (3) (textos de Pfarrius) para voz y piano, Op.1191851 Lieder (7) (textos de Kuhlmann) para voz y piano, Op. 1041852-1853 “Balladen”, 2 baladas para voz y piano, Op. 1221852-1853 Obertura festiva, para tenor, coro y orquesta, Op. 1231852 “Des Sängers Fluch”, balada para solistas, coro y orquesta, Op. 1391852 “Gedichte der Königin Maria Stuart” (“Poemas de la Reina María Estuardo”), para voz y piano, Op. 1351852 “Misa en do menor” para solistas, coro, y orquesta, Op. 1471852 “Vom Pagen und der Königstochter”, 4 baladas para solistas, coro y orquesta, Op. 1401852-1853 Acompañamiento de piano para 6 sonatas para violín de J. S. Bach (BWV 1001-6), WoO 21853 “Das Glück von Edenhall”, para solistas, coro y orquesta, Op. 1431853 “Kinderball” (“Baile infantil”) 6 danzas fáciles para piano a 4 manos, Op. 1301853 Intermezzo y Finale de la sonata "F-A-E" para violín y piano (obra colectiva junto a Brahms y Dietrich), WoO 221854 Acompañamientos de piano (24) para los Caprichos Op. 1 de Niccolò Paganini, WoO 25La calidad del sonido de lo que he escuchado hasta ahora es de buena a muy buena y las interpretaciones muy decentes, aunque no "enamoran" (repito, de lo que he escuchado y aclaro que no soy un experto).Los discos vienen en un cofre de cartón duro bien presentado y muy manejable, y cada CD dentro de su correspondiente estuche también de cartón. Se acompaña de un pequeño folleto del mismo tamaño que los estuches de los CD de 10 páginas en inglés que no sirve de mucho porque no incluye los contenidos de cada CD. Precisamente esto es lo que más echo de menos, un folleto con los contenidos de cada CD para poder localizar lo que se quiera escuchar en cada momento. Pero esó sí, dentro de la tapa del cofre viene un pequeño resúmen que facilita algo esta tarea, y en cada estuche están esos datos.En resumen, es una colección muy aconsejable para un aficionado a la música que quiera hacerse con la obra casi completa de Schumann a un buen precio para explorarla y con la calidad suficiente también para disfrutarla.
J**S
Muy buenas versiones
Imprescindible para melómanos que disfrutan con la música clásica romántica. La interpretación es impecable en todas las secciones tanto de música orquestal, cámara o solistas. Muy bien en cuanto a dinámica, expresión, tempo y articulaciones. Muchas de las obras de esta edición son de difícil escucha en directo, ya que se interpretan poco dada su dificultad. Los aficionados encontrarán aspectos desconocidos de la obra de Schumann que aun pueden sorprender.
M**O
Vibrant, sometimes unorthodox collection of Robert Schumann's compositions worth every penny.
A wonderful, spirited rendition of much of Robert Schumann's vast output. The German orchestra in the Cello and Violin Concerti have a pungency, not often interpreted in Schumann's orchestral performances, with the tympani sometimes over emphasizing phrases, but creating a fresh approach that is certainly arresting. Some very fine performances by Peter Schreier and other soloists are particularly noted in this ambitious collection. But as usual with Brilliant editions, the notes are very minimal. A must collection for anyone and at such a modest price!
