Schumann: Symphony No. 4, Piano Concerto Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
Riccardo Chailly conducts the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and pianist Martha Argerich in this 2006 celebration of the work of Robert Schumann (1810-1856), filmed at Leipzig, Germany's famed Gewandhaus. Selections include Schumann's Piano Concerto in A Minor, "Von Fremden Ländern und Menschen" from "Kinderszenen" and Symphony no. 4 in D Minor.
Is it a sort of morbid curiosity that makes us wonder if we can perceive the effects of mental illness in certain artists' outputs? The strange, otherworldly landscapes of Vincent van Gogh are certainly redolent of madness, as is the way he almost slathers paint on the canvas at times, as if he were attempting to create his own alternate, three dimensional, reality. Decades ago, I first got recognition in international film critic circles for my research and debunking of several false allegations about classic Hollywood Golden Age actress Frances Farmer, but I must somewhat sheepishly admit that one of the primary things I wondered when I was about to see her for the first time in one of her films is whether or not I'd be able to tell if she was "crazy." (I couldn't). That same perhaps politically incorrect questioning may come into play at times as we listen to the music of Robert Schumann, a composer whose mental instability led to years of emotional upheaval, at least one suicide attempt, and eventual institutionalization. Whether or not that fact played into his somewhat less than stellar reputation immediately following his demise in 1856 (at least in English circles, where his widow Clara fought valiantly, if largely unsuccessfully, to burnish his compositional renown to an uninterested audience) is anyone's guess. But the fact is now some 150 years plus after Robert's death he is rightly accorded titan status in terms of the great 19th century Romantic composers. While his protégé Johannes Brahms is no doubt the more important composer, with a much more varied output and more lasting contributions, Schumann's own melodic gifts and especially pianistic artistry can't be denied, and those proclivities are abundantly on display in this elegant concert helmed by Riccardo Chailly and featuring the redoubtable talents of one of the most highly regarded classical keyboard players of our time, Martha Argerich.
Riccardo Chailly
Schumann's reputation may have declined somewhat in the century and a half since his demise, but during his lifetime he was regarded as one of the titans of 19th century composition. Nowhere was this influence more keenly felt than with his peers. It's not much of a surprise, then, to see this June 2006 concert feature two orchestral transcriptions of Schumann piano pieces by composers as disparate as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Maurice Ravel. Even the time span between these two icons gives some indication of Schumann's lasting influence in musical circles. This concert gets off to a nicely nuanced start with Tchaikovsky's arrangement of the Adagio and Allegro brilliante from Schumann's Etudes Symphonique, Op. 13. One might be prone to thinking that these two very different episodes are redolent perhaps of what may have been Schumann's bipolar disorder, but the fact is these are culled from a larger panoply of pieces. The haunting minor Adagio is followed by a robust Allegro in this assured reading by Chailly and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.
Argerich then takes center stage for one of the most enduring piano concerti of the 19th century, one which Schumann worked on tirelessly for years as a showcase for his wife Clara, which Clara in fact premiered in a rehearsal with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1841. This is a piece that surprisingly didn't "take off" right away, and Schumann had to recraft large sections of it before it attained its contemporary stature, one that has lasted to this day. Argerich approaches some of this piece, notably the first movement, with unexpected rubatos and other flourishes of tempo. While this makes the listening experience really interesting, as if noticing an old friend in some new clothes, it does lead to some occasional hesitancy with orchestral "replies" to the piano soli, notably with the poor oboe player, who doesn't seem to know quite what to make of this unusual phrasing. The second and third movements are more de rigeur, with brilliant interplay between Argerich and the orchestra. Schumann decried virtuosity for virtuosity's sake, and this is not an overtly showy concerto, but its unending series of lovely melodies and stout, resolute orchestration show off Schumann's temperament admirably.
Argerich follows this with a lovely, understated reading of one of Schumann's miniature masterpieces, Von fremden Ländern und Menschen, from his song cycle Kinderszenen. (If you think you don't know this cycle, you probably know at least Träumerei, the gorgeous melody which served as the theme for the Schumann biopic Song of Love).
Next up we get Ravel's orchestral interpretation of four pieces from Schumann's Carnaval. It's fascinating to hear the Frenchman's typically glamorous take on what might be thought of as more foursquare, or indeed just plain square, material. The fact is, though, that Schumann was exploiting a larger, more chromatic, palette throughout this cycle, and that finds an admirable ally in Ravel, one who is able to find the many colors of Schumann's interior lines. This piece is also interesting in that Schumann, a la Bach, hid a musical signature of sorts in all 21 pieces of the original Carnaval. These are the musical letters A, S (Eb in German), C and H (Bb in German), the town of Asch, where Schumann drew some of his inspiration. By coincidence the town shares the only letters of the musical alphabet which are also found in Schumann's surname.
Bringing the concert to a close is the wonderful Fourth Symphony. When Mendelssohn premiered Schumann's "Spring" Symphony, the Symphony No. 1, in 1841 (again by the Gewandhaus Orchestra), it was something of a cause celèbre, vaulting Schumann to the front rank of the orchestral composers of his day. It's rather incredible to realize, then, that it was a mere nine months or so later that Schumann's next symphony (in its first form) was premiered. This was originally his second symphony, but though it was greeted with considerable acclaim, Schumann felt it needed reworking, and it wasn't until 10 years later that it premiered in its current form, by that time becoming the Fourth Symphony. This is a bold and often provocative piece of mature writing, one which exploits minor keys to an almost heretofore unimaginable level, at least in terms of 19th century symphonic writing. It's also quite easy to hear this piece's influence on Brahms' own Fourth. Tempestous and lyrical in equal measure, it remains one of the lasting masterworks of that era's orchestral compositions, and Chailly and the Gewandhaus Orchestra deliver a fiery and touching performance.
This Schumann program arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of EuroArts, with a really good 1080i AVC encoded transfer, with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Unlike a lot of these interlaced concert Blu-rays, there's nary a hint of artifacting here, with good, solid detail and excellent color throughout. Black levels and contrast are especially impressive, with Argerich's black dress clearly defined against the inkiness of the grand. The orchestral players never dissolve into the background and even quick motions of the string players' bows are all revealed with impeccable detail. Some of the flesh tones seemed just a bit on the yellowish side, but I concluded that must be due to some of the stage lighting, as others looked completely normal and lifelike.
Two uncompressed sound mixes are offered, LPCM offerings in either 5.1 or 2.0. I spot checked the 2.0, which sounded fine, if rather narrow, but spent the bulk of my listening with the 5.1, which reveals all of Schumann's music in its finery with impeccable fidelity and clarity. Surround channels are utilized mostly to achieve a nice hall ambience, but separation of the orchestral sections is quite clear and nuanced. Schumann loves bombastic brass announcements, often followed by more lyrical wind, reed and string comments, and this recording offers all of that with excellent dynamic range and no hint of distortion. This is a nicely warm and burnished sound, augmented by the expert playing of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, a troupe which obviously has a long and storied history with the composer.
Nicely varied between Schumann warhorses and some unusual, lesser known works, this is a fine and confident performance by Chailly, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Martha Argerich. Some people who have grown up listening to other performances of the Schumann Piano Concerto may find some of Argerich's phrasing a bit disconcerting (no pun intended), but this is a wonderfully articulate performance by all the players and classical musical lovers should enjoy it immensely.
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