Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto | Alexander Melnikov & the Freiburger Barockorchester

The Freiburger Barockorchester (FBO), with conductor Pablo Heras Casado and Alexander Melnikov at the pianoforte, performs Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 – the sole piano concerto that Schumann composed. On account of its many Romantic elements, Schumann's piano concerto is considered exemplary amongst the Romantic concerts.

As early as 1833, Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) had toyed with writing a piano concerto in A minor. In 1841 he wrote his single-movement “Phantasie” in A minor. The short piece did not fare well with publishers, and Schumann was unable to sell it. In 1845, Schumann reworked and expanded the fantasy into a piano concert of three movements. The premiere of the "Piano Concerto in A minor" was held in Dresden on December 4, 1845, to great success. The conductor was Ferdinand Hiller, and the difficult piano part was taken on by Schumann’s wife Clara, an extraordinary piano virtuoso.

The Freiburger Barockorchester (“Freiburg Baroque Orchestra”) was begun with a spontaneous idea that has since developed into a unique, musical success story. On New Year's Eve some 30 years ago, music students in Freiburg decided to form an orchestra dedicated exclusively to historically-informed performance practice, played on period instruments. The FBO performed its first concerts in the Freiburg region in 1987. Today, the orchestra has become world-famous. In addition to its own concert series in Freiburg, Stuttgart and Berlin, the FBO performs in the foremost international concert halls, and is considered one of the world’s most distinguished early-music ensembles.

00:00 Allegro affetuoso
15:00 Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso
19:20 Allegro vivace

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