Schumann: Kreisleriana

Pianist Paul Orgel performs Robert Schumann's "Kreisleriana", Fantasies, Opus 16. From a concert in 2004.
00:00 Äusserst bewegt - Extremely animated
2:39 Sehr innig und nicht so rasch - Very inwardly, and not so fast
11:10 Sehr aufgeregt - Very agitated
15:22 Sehr langsam - Very slow
18:38 Sehr lebhaft - Very lively
21:48 Sehr langsam - Very slow
25:32 Sehr rasch - Very fast
27:35 Schnell und spielend - Fast and playful
Like so many of my repertoire choices, my interest in Kreisleriana was inspired by a recording, in this case, Horowitz's clear, disciplined 1960s studio account. I learned the work in my teens (at Oberlin in the '70s) and revisited it several times in later years. Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's Kapellmeister Kreisler, a madman, and carrying with it our awareness of Schumann's later mental instability, Kreisleriana has the reputation of being one of Schumann's wildest works. Yes, Florestan and Eusebius -- extrovert and introvert -- have their extreme say in it, and I'm happy to hear the speed and energy - appropriately just at the edge of losing control - of my playing of No. 1, the end of No. 3, and No. 7 in this performance - but I've always been struck by the control, elegance, and basic sanity of Kreisleriana's formal design, and its concise expression (other than in the rambling second section.) Note the careful alternation of slow and fast movements, the consistent, recurring G Minor and B-flat major tonal scheme (also used in the Humoresque) and the simplicity of its melodies.
The trickiest task for me in KreisIeriana was to memorize the rhythmically off-kilter bass line that adds so much to the finale's supernatural atmosphere. Otherwise, I think that Kreisleriana is somewhat easier to play than the very greatest (my favorite, at any rate) Schumann piano works: Davidsbündlertänze, the Symphonic Études, and perhaps the F-sharp Minor Sonata, pieces that I greatly regret not studying when I was younger. Schumann's huge, inspired output of piano music is a body of work no less astounding than Chopin's.
Aside from Kreisleriana, the Schumann pieces that have been in my repertoire are Papillons, the Fantasy, Toccata, Arabesque, Kinderszenen, Carnaval, Humoresque, the 1st and 8th Novelettes, and other miscellaneous works..

[@tigrrrsocks]

Awesome performance! I love the slow movements and you're the first I've heard pay proper attention to the accents in the first movement!

[@RadioLeal]

amazing music ❤