Schumann 41/51 - Florestan & Eusebius

Schumann 41/51 - Florestan & Eusebius

ORC100257 (Orchid Classics, CD)

FIRST RELEASE (22 September 2023)

Playing time: 55'50"
Tracks: 8
Booklet pages: 16
℗ 2023 Orchid Music Limited
© 2023 Orchid Music Limited
Main country of recording: Romania
Country of manufacture: European Union
Reviewer: Gerald Fenech
Review of Schumann 41/51 - Florestan & Eusebius published on 25 September 2023

Gabriel Gheorghe, violin
Orchestra Simfonică Bucureşti
John Axelrod, conductor

Robert Schumann (1810-1856):

Symphony No 4 in D minor, Op 120

Original version (1841)
1 Andante con moto - Allegro di molto
2 Romanza: Andante
3 Scherzo: Presto
4 Largo - Finale. Allegro vivace

Revised version (1851)
5 Ziemlich langsam – Lebhaft
6 Romanze: Ziemlich langsam
7 Scherzo: Lebhaft
8 Langsam - Lebhaft

The Bucharest Symphony and Principal Conductor John Axelrod present a unique recording of both versions of Schumann's 4th Symphony: the original version, composed and premiered in 1841 and published nearly fifty years later with the help of Johannes Brahms, and the revised 1851 version, completed three years before his untimely death, and defended and protected by his widow, Clara Schumann. The recording brings both side by side to show the different facets of Schumann's character, as he himself put it: 'Florestan the wild' and 'Eusebius the mild'. Principal Conductor of the Bucharest Symphony since 2022, John Axelrod explains that the focus of this project is to 'delve deeply into Robert Schumann's life, his love, and his long struggle with mental health. These two publications, one written during a manic creative year and the other in the depths of his emotional despair, provide for me the most telling representation of this radical romantic. I hope to share this musical discovery with my fellow musicians, our audience and listeners. Ultimately, we may learn something new about this extraordinary man.'

Recorded 18-21 March 2023 at Sala Gloria, Bucharest, Romania.