SCHUMANN Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54, Movement no. 1 - Allegro affettuoso
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4 (original version, 1841)
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1
The passionate and complex relationship between Robert
and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms inspired novels,
poetry and movies—and changed the course of music
history. Robert Schumann, his hopes for
a piano career dashed by a hand injury, wrote music
filled with passion,
fantasy and occasional whimsy. Clara, one of Europe’s
greatest pianists,
championed Robert’s music, premiering the Introduction
and Allegro
appassionato in 1850. But Robert’s struggles
between his genius and the
demons of self-doubt are revealed in his Symphony No
4. Brahms,
befriended by the Schumanns at age 20, drew on their
love, encouragement, and support to become one of the
greatest composers of the time. His First Piano Concerto
is one of the greatest works written for the instrument.
“Inquisitive, self-assertive, [Alon Goldstein]
possesses a unique awareness and musical instincts
of the highest caliber.”
- Leon Fleisher
