Schumann, Robert: Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra, op. 54

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra, op. 54 (1841-5) 31 minutes

Solo piano, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.

Robert Schumann composed the Piano Concerto for his beloved wife, the pianist and composer Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896). The work originated in May of 1841 as a Fantasy in A minor for piano and orchestra. In 1845, Schumann added two movements to the Fantasy. Clara Schumann wrote in her diary: “(The Fantasy) has now become a concerto that I mean to play next winter. I am very glad about it for I have always wanted a great bravura piece by him.” The following month, Clara enthused: “I am happy as a king at the thought of playing it with orchestra.” Clara Schumann was the soloist in the Concerto’s December 4, 1845 premiere.

The Concerto is in three movements, the final two played without pause. The first (Allegro affettuoso) opens in dramatic fashion, with a forte orchestral chord, immediately followed by an emphatic descending passage for the soloist. The oboes, supported by the clarinets, bassoons, and horns, sing the espressivo principal theme, soon repeated by the soloist. The brief second movement (Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso) is in A—B—A form. The soloist, in dialogue with the strings, presents the charming opening theme, derived from the ascending portion of the principal melody of the first movement. The cellos launch the more rhapsodic “B” section. In the finale (Allegro vivace), the soloist introduces the joyous principal theme, again related to the principal melody of the opening movement. The finale concludes with an expansive coda, in which the soloist takes center stage, closing with a dazzling, ascending flourish.