»Schumann’s music opens up a whole world of new musical forms for us, touching strings that his great predecessors have not yet touched.« This is how none other than Piotr Tchaikovsky enthused about his German colleague. In fact, Schumann – alongside Mozart and Mendelssohn – was a great role model for the creator of ‘Pathétique’, »Swan Lake« and co. In the music of the older Romantic composer, Tchaikovsky found »the echo of mysterious processes of our soul life that move the heart of today’s man.« So there are plenty of reasons to juxtapose selected works by the two »brothers in spirit«. In the Elbphilharmonie, the NDR Vokalensemble under Kaspars Putniņš, currently chief conductor of the Swedish and Latvian Radio Choirs, and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under star conductor Paavo Järvi will explore this affinity.
First, the NDR Vokalensemble dedicates itself to some of Schumann’s choral works, in which the entire sound palette of a vocal ensemble is explored - from female voices to male choir to mixed choir.As Schumann said so beautifully: »The best way to develop your own melodic sense is always to write a lot for singing, for an independent choir.« And he did! And set poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Rückert and Eduard Mörike, among others, to music. Art could hardly be more »romantic« – culminating in the famous Eichendorff setting »Mondnacht«, which Putniņš and the NDR Vokalensemble present in an arrangement for choir.
After the interval, Paavo Järvi and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester will then perform a surprisingly rarely heard work for full orchestra: Piotr Tchaikovsky’s Third Symphony – the only one in his oeuvre to be in a major key and have five instead of four movements. The comparison with Schumann is therefore particularly obvious in this work, as the Third by »the most important symphonist of the German school since Beethoven« (Tchaikovsky) is also optimistic and has a loose, five-movement sequence. Instead of the misleading nickname »Polish« – because of the polonaise in the finale – Tchaikovsky’s symphony should actually be called »Schumann’s«!
PERFORMERS
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester orchestra
NDR Vokalensemble choir
Philip Mayers piano
Kaspars Putniņš choir director
Paavo Järvi conductor
PROGRAM
Robert Schumann
Vier doppelchörige Gesänge op. 141
Robert Schumann
Die Kapelle
Robert Schumann
Die Lotosblume
Robert Schumann
Vier Gesänge op. 59
Robert Schumann
Mondnacht
Piotr I. Tschaikowsky
Symphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 28 »Polish«
