Schumann Symphony No. 3, "Rhenish"

In 1850, Robert Schumann accepted a position as the new Music
Director in Dusseldorf. This job had a lot of responsibilities,
including conducting the city orchestra. Schumann, along with his
wife, the legendary pianist Clara Schumann, and their 7 children
moved to Dusseldorf. The city made a huge to do about the
Schumann’s arrival, welcoming him with balls, speeches, and
parades. This was a new adventure for the Schumann family, and
Robert, at least at first, was invigorated. He loved the less
reserved personality of the residents of Dusseldorf, and he was
deeply inspired by the Rhine river. Very quickly, Schumann had
begun composing at his usual feverish pace. He wrote his cello
concerto in just two weeks, and then he began a new symphony,
what would turn out to be his last symphony. It would be a
celebration of the Rhineland and all of its prosperity, beauty,
and charm. Soon after the symphony was written however, the
euphoria turned towards catasprophe. Schumann was not a good
conductor, and the musicians of the orchestra soon turned
bitterly against him. His compositions were still not well
understood, and his mental health began sliding towards a crisis
point again. So Schumann’s 3rd symphony, the Rhenish, really
represents a snapshot in time - a time of euphoria, of joy, of
possibility. It is this boundless energy that comes up again and
again in this remarkable symphony which we are going to talk
about today. We’ll discuss the wonderful varieties of joy
Schumann includes in the piece, its unusual structure, it’s
transcendent fourth movement, and the unique challenges of
performing Schumann’s music, which often bedevil conductors to
this day. Join us!