Schumann Cello Concerto
Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast
Joshua Weilerstein
4.9 • 2.5K Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2020
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On today's Patreon-sponsored episode, we'll explore the enigmatic masterpiece known as the Schumann Cello Concerto. This is a piece that has been relentlessly criticized ever since it was written, and yet it remains a part of every cellist's repertoire all over the world. What accounts for this contradiction? This week we'll attack these criticisms head on, and also marvel at the melodic inspiration and formal innovations that run through this underrated gem from a deeply underrated composer.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and I'm the |
| 0:14.4 | artistic director of the Lozan Chamber Orchestra in Lozan Switzerland. This |
| 0:18.3 | podcast is for anyone who loves classical music, works in the field, or is just getting ready to dive into this |
| 0:23.8 | amazing world of incredible music. Before we get started I want to thank my new |
| 0:27.9 | Patreon sponsors Anne and Martina and all of my other Patreon sponsors for making season six possible. |
| 0:35.0 | And today's episode was sponsored on Patreon by Phoebe. |
| 0:38.7 | If you'd like to support the show and perhaps have a piece of your choice explored in the show |
| 0:42.2 | like Phoebe did, please head |
| 0:43.8 | over to patreon.com slash sticky notes podcast. |
| 0:47.8 | And if you are a fan of the show, please just take a moment to give us a rating or review on |
| 0:50.8 | Apple Podcasts. Every rating and review helps more people find the show and it is greatly appreciated. |
| 0:57.0 | Thanks and before we get started on this exploration of Schuman's cello Concerto, I wanted to tell you a little bit about what I'm up to this week I hope I am |
| 1:04.9 | supposed to be heading to Brahmin on Wednesday actually it'll be yesterday by |
| 1:09.8 | the time you hear this podcast to work with the Deutsche Kemmifelmene there. |
| 1:14.4 | One of my favorite orchestras in the world. |
| 1:17.0 | Obviously there's a lot of uncertainty about whether the concerts will go ahead |
| 1:21.0 | because of the famous coronavirus issues. The German government is not sure about |
| 1:26.7 | banning large-scale performances, large-scale events, like the ones that we will be having. |
| 1:40.0 | So we'll see what happens and I'm hoping the concerts will go on but obviously the safety of everybody comes first. So we'll see what happens. Thanks and on to Schuman's cello Concerto, like so many of his works, has outlived the critics of its time, the first performance of the piece, and the constant denigration of its supposedly defective orchestration. |
| 2:14.8 | The first performance of the piece didn't take place until four years after Schuman's death. |
| 2:19.7 | The music director of the orchestra didn't even conduct the performance. It was performed by the |
| 2:24.0 | cellist Ludwig Ebert and conducted by the concert master of the orchestra. Ebert detailed his struggles with |
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