Page 34 - SRMF 2024 Season Program Book

Continued from previous page name a few - but Schumann shows his own unique voice
with the juxtaposition of his two alter egos, Florestan and
restan the wild and Eusebius the mild, two sides of his artis- Eusebius. Though not overt in the same way as some of his
tic self that would emerge in different moments throughout piano works, one can hear the bombast of Florestan in the
his oeuvre. In a verse he wrote to his future wife Clara opening gestures and the pensiveness of Eusebius in the
Wieck, Robert described them: contrasting second theme. The central movements serve
as your typical scherzo and slow movement one would
Eusebius’s mildness, Florestan’s ire- expect in a symphony, with the added twist of depicting
I can give thee, at will, my tears or my fire, specific scenes - the second movement was originally sub-
For my soul by turns two spirits possess- titled “Morning on the Rhine” by Schumann, and possesses
The spirits of joy and of bitterness. a folk-like quality, with singable tunes that successfully bring
to mind a day by the river. The third movement is some-
All of this to say, Robert Schumann was a rather eccen- thing of an intermezzo that harkens back to Schumann’s
tric man. Though the alter egos alone aren’t necessarily numerous tuneful songs. Inspired by a visit to the famous
evidence of this, he struggled mightily with mental health cathedral in Cologne, the fourth movement is itself quite a
issues throughout his life, and would alternate between musical monument. Originally subtitled “In the character of
intensive creative output and periods of virtually no compo- an accompaniment to a solemn ceremony,” this movement
sitions being produced. He had a particularly keen ear for might be the best music Schumann composed for orches-
piano works and songs for voice and piano; given that Clara tra, with a culminating fanfare that gives chills every time.
Schumann, who married Robert in 1840 following a lengthy The bright Finale lives up to its tempo marking, with lively
legal battle with her family, was one of the finest pianists staccato passages that propel the music toward a befitting
alive during their lifetimes, it comes as no surprise that heroic close.
Robert would write so much piano music. By 1841, Robert
had composed two of his four symphonies and his only pi- Attending Classical Concert I : EARTH to enjoy
ano concerto, which Clara premiered as the soloist. Robert Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony? Return for
dedicated the concerto to Ferdinand Hiller, the conductor Classical Concert II : WATER for Schumann’s
he would eventually replace in Düsseldorf as music direc- ‘Rhensh’ Symphony, which owes much in the way
tor. His successes as a symphonic composer led directly of inspiration to Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’!
to his appointment in Düsseldorf in 1850; turns out Rob-
ert wasn’t really cut out for conducting, as he was quickly
removed from the post. Regardless, the move to Düssel-
dorf inspired him greatly, given that he quickly composed
another symphony during his time in the Rheinland.
Like most Germanic composers writing in the wake of
Beethoven’s legacy, Robert’s Third Symphony (technically
the fourth he composed, but his symphonies weren’t pub-
lished chronologically) owes much in the way of inspiration
to Beethoven, in this case, the Pastoral and Eroica.
The five movement structure seems to be borrowed
directly from Beethoven’s Sixth, with the fourth movement
serving as a depiction of something extramusical. The two
Third Symphonies share many characteristics - same key
and meter in the first movement, a quick departure from
the tonic key, and extensions to the sonata-allegro form, to

FAURÉ Festival of Carols

REQUIEM SATURDAY, DEC 14 | 7PM
SUNDAY, DEC 15 | 2PM
THE TOWER THEATRE
Christian Clark | Artistic Director STEPHEN MARSHALL Messiah Sing-Along
Creating joy through music! ORGAN SATURDAY, DEC 21 | 7PM

SUNDAY, DEC 22 | 2PM
SATURDAY, OCT 12 | 7PM
Tickets and information: TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH Spring Concert
centraloregonmastersingers.org SUNDAY, OCT 13 | 3PM
NATIVITY LUTHERAN CHURCH SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2025 | 4PM

34 - 2024 SUNRIVERMUSIC.ORG