Robert Schumann: Geistervariationen

Robert Schumann: Geistervariationen

A decade after his highly acclaimed In Concert album, master pianist András Schiff continues his documentation of Robert Schumann's music in a program which includes: Papillons op. 2, Klaviersonate fis-moll op. 11, Kinderszenen op. 15, Fantasie C-Dur op. 17, Waldszenen op. 82, Thema mit Variationen (Geistervariationen). This is sure to be viewed as a revelatory re-investigation of this enormously influential Romantic music. Schiff, one of the greatest pianists of our era, traces the development of Schumann's piano music, from the early "Papillons", written when Schumann was 19, all the way to the final "Geistervariationen", "ghost variations" which the composer believed were dictated to him by angels. The Fantasy in C Major is heard with alternate endings: as well as the official published version, Schiff includes a preliminary version he finds more musically convincing. András Schiff gives his thoughts on the matter in a very interesting note in the CD booklet which also gives background information by Wolf-Dieter Seiffert on each of the compositions.