28.07.2006 - 150th anniversary of Robert Schumann’s death

"Sometimes it seems to me as if I have come upon entirely new paths in the music."
So opined the composer Robert Schumann, and remarked in 1843 about the "Romantic school" and its ideal of "poetic music":
"It is known that in the years 1830-34 a reaction took place against the prevailing taste. Actually, the fight was not very hard; it was waged against ornamentalism which showed itself in nearly all genres (with exceptions, to be sure, such as Weber, Loewe, and others), but especially in piano music. Piano music was the point of departure for the first attack; more thoughtful structures took the place of mere passage-work pieces, and especially the influence of two masters made itself felt, that of Beethoven and Bach."

These thoughts on the music of the nineteenth century are to be heard with exceptional clarity in Robert Schumann’s piano works. In Schumann year 2006, pianist Wolfram Lorenzen dedicated himself to the recording of the Faschingsschwank aus Wien op. 26 (“Carnival Jests from Vienna”), the Fantasiestücke op. 12 (“Fantasy Pieces”), and the Symphonische Etüden op. 13 ("Symphonic Etudes"), wonderfully transforming into sound the "secret emotional states" of these "character pieces of the highest quality."

It is a pleasure for TROUBADISC to issue Lorenzen’s interpretations during Schumann year.
We will soon be able to offer this music on a Super Audio CD in multi-channel format.

Here is a small sample for your listening pleasure.

"In the Night" (mp3, about 6MB) >>>