Brillante @ the Steinway Gallery
19/05/2019
About:
Schumann’s Carnaval is a programmatic piano suite consisting of 22 character pieces. It depicts the setting of a European-styled grand ball where different individuals, situations and moods are encountered. Some of the movements reference women that he was involved with, Estrella representing Ernestine (whom he was initially engaged to) and Chiara representing Clara Schumann whom he actually married. Others, such as Chopin and Paganini are stylised and titled after their respective composers. Some movements allow us a glimpse into the psyche of the composer, Eusebius alludes to a contemplative and introverted temperament whereas Florestan is passionate and outwardly expressive. The finale of the Carnaval depicts the Davidsbündler (Schumann’s conceptual band of musicians) marching against the Philistins (those who held outdated, inartistic ideals) with increasing energy and relentless momentum.
Shortly after Schumann’s death, in a letter to Schumann's biographer, Liszt wrote that the Carnaval was a work that would assume its natural place in the public eye alongside Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, even surpassing it in melodic invention and conciseness.