This new recording features two lesser known piano masterworks by the young Schumann: the F minor Piano Sonata, in which the classical sonata form is infused with Schumann’s unique romantic outpourings, and the Humoreske, the last of his piano cycles in which his alter egos Florestan and Eusebius make their presence. + Young Italian pianist Vincenzo Maltempo attracted worldwide attention with his three-volume recording of piano works by Alkan, collecting numerous 5 star reviews in the musical press: Guardian (“exhilarating, a real revelation!”), Diapason, Gramophone and Piano News.

The two versions of the Schumann cello concerto recorded here impressively highlight Benedict Klöckner, whose performance never sacrifices the intimacy of the most Romantic of all cello concertos on the altar of technical brilliance. Hearing the concerto as a cello quartet will be a novel experience to many. An inspiration to all lovers of classical music!

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Giving new impetus to the genre of the symphony in the nineteenth century, after the achievements of Ludwig van Beethoven, was a just as ambitious as problematic undertaking. Even Robert Schumann did not find it easy to deal with hearing "the giant marching behind oneself". At the end of the 1830s Schumann formulated the dilemma: "When a German speaks about symphonies, he is speaking about Beethoven: the two names are one and indivisible for him, are his joy, his pride. Just as Italy has it's Naples, the Frenchman his Revolution, the Englishman his navy, etc., the German has his Beethoven symphonies. Now that the creations of this master have coalesced with our heart, some of the symphonic [creations] even having become popular, one might think that they must have left behind deep marks that would show in the first of the works of the same genre from the immediately following period. This is not the case. We indeed find echoes; preservation and mastery of the great form, where ideas appear one after the other, stroke upon stroke, and yet only seldom linked together by an inner spiritual bond, with a few exceptions. "It is clear here that the path back to Haydn and Mozart is not an option - and picking up the thread of the exemplary individualism of Beethoven's symphonies appears impossible. The knowledge of the problems of innovative symphonic design also characterizes Schumann's path to the large form. Early attempts remained unfinished; nevertheless, in 1829 he reported to his piano teacher and later father-in-law Friedrich Wieck: "But did you know how it agitated and egged me on, and how I could already have gotten to op. 100 in my symphonies, had I written them down, and how I actually feel so at ease in the whole orchestra."

Robert Schumann's dramatic life and transcendent music can be considered an archetype for the Romantic age in which he lived. Most of the works on this recording were written towards the end of his life, and Gesange der Fruhe (Songs of Dawn) was completed just months before Schumann's final breakdown and confinement to the asylum in Endenich, it's strange beauty infused with ideas of double identity. Schumann had his own daughters in mind for the utterly charming Klavier-Sonaten fur die Jugend (Piano Sonatas for the Young), while the earlier sonata movements have recently been transcribed and edited from the composer's incomplete or discarded sketches.

One of Britain's best-known musicians, Nicholas Daniel OBE won the BBC Young Musician competition in 1980, after which he quickly established his career, travelling all over the world, broadcasting widely, and making his debut at the BBC Proms. He has premiered hundreds of works for the oboe and made many critically acclaimed recordings of both new and familiar music. As a soloist he has appeared with the world's leading orchestras, performing a huge range of repertoire and premiering works written specially for him by many of the world's greatest composers. He is a founder member of the Britten Sinfonia, Haffner Wind Ensemble, Orsino Ensemble, and Britten Oboe Quartet. This programme features a wide selection of chamber music by Robert Schumann, alongside the Three Romances by Clara Schumann. At the time these pieces were written, there was a rapidly growing interest in amateur music making in the home, fuelled by a burgeoning middle class. Brahms, Schumann, and Mendelssohn all contributed significantly to the array of works published for this market, and it was quite normal practise for parts to be substituted for whatever instruments happened to be available. So, although the Three Romances, Op. 94 are the only works here originally composed for the oboe, the programme is not only musically rewarding in it's own right, but also in keeping with what the Schumanns would have considered normal practise.

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After a notable Debussy recital hailed by the international press, Nelson Goerner continues his Zig-Zag Territoires collaboration in the company of Robert Schumann. + On the program: two emblematic works from Schumann’s universe: the Etudes Symphoniques, op. 13 (including the posthumous etudes) and Kreisleriana, op. 16, plus a short piece Schumann said was ‘the most difficult piece ever written’: the Toccata, op. 7. + This new recording clearly demonstrates Nelson Goerner’s highly rigorous approach, exceptional generosity and richness of sound.

This is the first recording of Antonio Pappano conducting two of Schumann’s most popular symphonies, No. 2 in C major and No. 4 in D minor. Pappano brings his customary energy to the ensemble, while drawing out the magnificent beauty of the string section and the delicacies of the woodwind. His careful approach to detail makes this a commanding interpretation. Antonio Pappano began his conducting career as assistant at the Bayreuth Festival. He became music director of the Den Norske Opera in Oslo in 1990. Since 2005 he has been music director of this ensemble, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He was knighted in 2012, and was made a Knight Grand Cross of Italy’s Order of Merit.

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Clara Schumann, Robert’s wife and muse, for whom, and at whose side, he composed these works written during the years in which his love for her – still no more than a young girl – began to bloom, are all filled with passionate romanticism. Eric Le Sage is one of today’s leading pianists of the French piano school. In 2010, he very successfully came to the end of a project that he had cherished and prepared for a long time: recording Robert Schumann’s complete works for piano.

Charlotte de Rothschild has performed in the greatest concert halls the world over. With her wide repertoire from different genres, countries, and eras, she creates some of the most thrilling programs. For this album, her second installation in this series, she has chosen works by Robert Schumann. Rothschild is accompanied by pianist Adrian Farmer, who was trained in accompaniment at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He has several recordings to his name.

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