Robert Schumann composed four symphonies. The second and third raised the most doubts among critics of the time, partly due to having been written during a period when the composer was mentally instable. Critics pointed to orchestration limitations as well as formal inconsistencies. However, historical distance has overcome such reservations. Schumann freed himself from the constraints of classicism and ignited the imagination with extra-musical suggestions. Symphony No. 1 invokes nature, particularly the exuberance and blossoming of spring’s arrival. Originally titled Symphonic Fantasy, No. 4 delves into romantic subjectivity; it layers intense emotions — anguish and irony, the mystery of the night and childhood memories. In No. 2, intimate dilemmas are glimpsed, alongside overcoming and triumph. Finally, No. 3 results in a beautiful musical poem inspired by the culture of the Rhine river peoples.

Programme

3 July
R. Schumann Symphony No. 1, Spring; Symphony No. 4

4 July
R. Schumann Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 3, Rhenish