Robert Schumann composed four symphonies. The second and third were the ones that raised the most doubts among critics at the time, partly because they were created at a time when the musician’s mental resilience was fickle. Limitations were pointed out in terms of orchestration, as well as formal inconsistencies. However, historical distance overcame these reservations. Schumann freed himself from the bonds of classicism and set the imagination alight with extra-musical suggestions. Symphony No. 1 invokes nature, in particular the exuberance and blossoming of the arrival of spring. Originally entitled Symphonic Fantasy, No. 4 delves into romantic subjectivism; it overlays intense emotions, anguish and irony, the mystery of the night and childhood memories. In No. 2 we see intimate dilemmas, but also overcoming and triumph. Finally, No. 3 is a beautiful musical poem inspired by the culture of the Rhine people.
Schumann’s Symphonies
Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra
R. Schumann Symphony No. 2
R. Schumann Symphony No. 3, Renana
Pedro Neves conductor
