Schumann - Fantasie-Stücke Op. 73

Robert Schumann was a German composer of the Romantic period. He was born on June 18th 1810, the fifth son of a bookseller and publisher. Schumann developed a great interest in literature. This passion would inspire him for a lot of his compositions. Although his childhood and the first years of his marriage with his wife Clara were happy, Schumann's life ended in a miserable way, suffering from a depression and hallucinations that caused him to go to the lunatic asylum where he remained until his unfortunate death.

Trademark: lively, lyrical melodies, elegant harmonies, always with serenity.

Fantasie-Stücke Op. 73, 1-3 for clarinet 

The Fantasie-Stücke are originally written for clarinet, but the clarinet part can also be played on violin or cello. There are a lot of resemblances with parts in Schumann's piano and cello concerto.

This series of pieces consists of three parts. Schumann required his music to be played with strong emotional involvement, very typical for the Romantic period.

Let's take a closer look at the movements.

I. Zart und mit Ausdrück (Tender, and with expression)

The first measures take us right into a 'conversation' between the piano and the clarinet.

There are a lot of crescendo-decrescendos in the sheet music. The melodical line sounds like a waterstreamlet, constantly moving. It's lively and yet a little timid. The clarinet asks, the piano answers in a lyrical way. The further the melody flows, the less hesitancy and indecisiveness. There is a general crescendo, then, suddenly, we hear the theme again with more confidence. Gradually, the conversation comes to an end, confirmed by a tender major chord on the piano.

II. Lebhaft, Leicht (Lively, light)

The clarinet and the piano keep interacting, but faster and more lighthearted than their 'conversation' in the previous movement. The middle parts sound childlike and innocent, without any fear or worries. The melody goes upwards, portraying the question of a curious child. We go back to the main theme which revives for a moment, then fades away to the end.

III. Rasch und mit Feuer (Quick, and with fire)

The third movement is dynamic and temperamentful without losing it's serenity. First measures are an 'attack' from the piano and the clarinet. The same scale is heard several times, but every time with a different approach, leading us to another viewpoint.

We perceive a new theme. It's mysterious and restless.

The reprise is tempestuous with much feeling, building up to a small climax, decreasing again and eventually followed by the resolute final chords.

Recommendations

Here are a few of my favourite performances on Youtube:

Cello: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWZmeJAE70Q

Clarinet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmd1zKHtGN0

But the absolute best performance of the Fantasie-stücke is on the album I mentioned in a previous article about Joey Roukens. Fragments can be heard on this link:

http://www.muziekweb.nl/Link/CJX8112

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Source of the picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R_Schumann_Bonngasse.jpg?uselang=nl#filehistory

Beginner's guide to Classical music

Getting rid of the dusty image

When hearing the word 'classical music', many people imagine a party of old-fashioned and dull men in secondhand green suits, playing old music with their cracky instruments. It's a wrong image, for classical music has a great assortment of different styles. I have to admit that stuffy and boring pieces do exist. However, the classical genre has much more to offer!

Why is it worth it?

First, it is a part of our cultural heritage. Classical music is the mother of all current popular music, whether you listen to Coldplay, Rihanna or Nickelback.

Secondly, this genre can have a very good effect on you. I myself love almost every kind of music, yet I prefer classical music to any other style because I notice that it has a positive effect on my mood and personality. Many songs nowadays are about Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n Roll and it would be senseless to assume that the songs are beneficial to our sense of ethics.

By the way, scientists made cows listen to Mozart and observed that they were far more relaxed, good-tempered and produced more milk than their fellows (Read more about this experiment). I doubt whether Nickelback would have the same effect on them.

Of course, we are not cows...

Where to start?

Starting with Bach and Mozart, the most famous classical composers, isn't a very good idea since their works are not always very accessible and there are so many other beautiful pieces most people don't know!

Starting with the Romantic classical composers though, should be a better idea. Nota bene: people link Romanticism to love, sunsets, flowers and red wine, but it is something completely different. Romanticism is a subgenre of classical music that originated in the second half of the 18th century. Circumstances in Europe were dreadful due to wars and other crises. Therefore, people rejected rational thinking as the way to solve the problems. Instead, they reached for dreams and happiness, for fairytales and nostalgia. Forms of art became a manner to release their strong inner feelings.

I will list a few of my favourite works related to different moods, linked to Youtube.

Tender

1. Liebestraum - F. Liszt. Liebestraum means 'love dream'.

The performance is by one of the iconic pianists of history, Artur Rubinstein.

2. Méditation de Thaïs - J. Massenet. A heart-warming piece and performance, played very passionately by Janine Jansen.

3. The sweet Panorama from ballet "The Sleeping Beauty" - P.I. Tschaikovsky. Think of green hills and spring. Performed by the Vienna Philarmonic, known as one of the best orchestras in the world.

Feelgood

1. The well known Four Seasons -  A. Vivaldi needs no explanation.

2. Carmen Fantasy P. Sarasate. A joyful, virtuoso piece for violon with a Spanish accent.

3. La donna è mobile G. Verdi, a very famous opera song, exhibited by Caruso.

4. Alla turca - W.A. Mozart, a piano solo piece.

Majestic/intense

1. Polonaise As-dur Op. 53 "Heroique" - F. Chopin (starts at 2.10").

2. Revolutionary Etude op. 10 no 12 - F. Chopin. It is fast and very difficult.

3. Symphony 4, mvt 4 - P.I. Tchaikovsky (See article I have written before here)

4. 2nd Piano concerto - S. Rachmaninoff. One of the best musical pieces ever written. I will dedicate one or several articles to this masterwork. The atmosphere and the harmonies are incredible.

5. S. Rachmaninoff's prélude Op. 32 no. 10.

Nostalgic

1. Vocalise - S. Rachmaninoff, a moving piece transcribed for cello.

2. Élégie for Cello and Orchestra - G. Fauré. A slow piece with very different dynamics. It's beauty lies in it's simplicity.

3. Arabesque - C. Débussy. Very dreamy, the melody creates the atmosphere of Arabia.

4. Another famous piece from Débussy: Clair de Lune. 

Lighthearted

1. Petrushka - I.F. Stravinsky. This crazy piece is very difficult for the piano.

2. Scaramouche, mvt 3 - D. Milhaud. Jazzy and fun.

3. "Papageno, papagena duet" from opera The Magic Flute - W.A. Mozart. What was Mozart thinking when composing this ingenious, comic duet?

4. Flight of the Bumblebee - N. Rimsky-Korsakov (arrangment by Cziffra). One of the fastest solo works ever written.

Of course, these are only a few out of hundreds of masterworks. My partiality for Russian music is, again, very obvious. I mentioned Rachmaninoff a few times, Tchaikovsky again. In future I will make more "must-hear" lists with pieces from other great composers like Brahms, Dvorak, Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, Schumann, Liszt, Ravel and those who I do not recall at the moment.

For now, I hope you'll enjoy.