Through the years, conductors have tampered with works of Robert Schumann, occasionally doubling instruments. Schumann’s works can be taxing for the orchestra, and some commentators cite weaknesses in the orchestration.
In a 1953 analysis of Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61, Leonard Bernstein shatters this myth. He suggests that Schumann’s orchestration is, in fact, innovative. For example, there is the magical introduction in which the strings (traditionally at the forefront) recede, and brass solemnly announce the Symphony’s motivic motto. Another passage features the solo viola, blurring the lines between symphony and chamber music in a way pointing to the music of Mahler. The closing moments deliver another innovation in the form of a timpani solo. The Romantic orchestra, with all of its drama and pathos, is on display.
Bernstein does not mention the influence of Schubert’s “Great” Ninth Symphony, also in C major. Unplayed for ten years after the composer’s death, it premiered by Mendelssohn and Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1839. Schubert’s Ninth offered a new path forward, and its influence can be heard throughout Schumann’s symphonies.
We explored Schumann’s Second Symphony in this previous post. Here is Bernstein’s fascinating analysis:
Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61 (Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic)
Bernstein made three recordings of Schumann’s Second Symphony. The first, which includes the above analysis, featured the New York Stadium Symphony Orchestra. In the 1960s, this was followed up with a recording with the New York Philharmonic. Bernstein’s live recording with the Vienna Philharmonic was released in the 1986. Here is that extraordinary final recording:
I. Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo:
II. Scherzo. Allegro vivace:
III. Adagio espressivo:
IV. Allegro molto vivace:
Recordings
- Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61, Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic Amazon