Last February, we explored Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 in C Major, a work unified by a single motivic thread which runs through its four movements. Emerging as a mystical trumpet call in the Symphony’s opening, this motto (an ascending fifth) rings out as a triumphant statement in the Symphony’s concluding moments. For Schumann, a composer who faced inner demons, this majestic, life-affirming work can be heard as the musical equivalent of Beethoven’s Heiligenstadt Testament.
This performance, recorded on May 24, 2025 at Houston’s Jones Hall, captures the Symphony’s rich tapestry of conversing contrapuntal lines. It features the Houston Symphony, led by Music Director Juraj Valčuha:
