Radu Lupu

Robert Schumann wrote the first of his three piano sonatas between 1833 and 1835. The dedication he gave it, 'Clara zugeeignet von Florestan und Eusebius', alludes to the fictional characters who embodied Schumann's divided nature: Florestan the passionate and Eusebius the melancholy. These contrasting temperaments spontaneously define the form, so that the result is more improvisation guided by passions than a sonata with a well thought-out structure. The 'Humoreske opus 20' is also very improvisational. Contrary to what the title may suggest, this is a grand work thirty minutes long with a huge wealth of moods and can be compared to the 'Kreisleriana'. It is mainly the first part that is humorous, while the rest displays Schumann's typically contrasting states of mind; as he himself said, while composing this piece he 'lachte und weinte durcheinander'. The 'Waldszenen, opus 82' from 1848-49, exude the spirit of Schumann's well-known song cycles. This piano cycle comprises nine evocative characteristic pieces. The best-known, 'Vogel als Prophet', has a place in the long tradition of programmatic bird-call music built up since the Renaissance.