Tag Archives: Classical Piano

Classical Music: Tiffany Poon Plays Schumann

DW Classical Music (February 4, 2024): Robert Schumann’s “Kinderszenen” (“Scenes from Childhood”) is one of the most popular piano works of the Romantic period. The highlight of the 13-part piano cycle is the “Träumerei” (Dreaming). The work is considered the epitome of romantic piano compositions.

New York pianist, Tiffany Poon, played Robert Schumann’s “Kinderszenen”, Op. 15 at the Dresden Music Festival 2023. The concert took place on June 17, 2023, at the Palais im Großen Garten.

Video timeline: (00:00) Coming on stage (00:21) 1. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands and Peoples) (02:02) 2. Kuriose Geschichte (A Curious Story) (03:07) 3. Hasche-Mann (Blind Man’s Buff) (03:39) 4. Bittendes Kind (Pleading Child) (04:39) 5. Glückes genug (Happy Enough) (05:17) 6. Wichtige Begebenheit (An Important Event) (06:09) 7. Träumerei (Dreaming) (08:51) 8. Am Kamin (At the Fireside) (09:47) 9. Schumann Ritter vom Steckenpferd (Knight of the Hobbyhorse) (10:32) 10. Fast zu ernst (Almost Too Serious) (12:40) 11. Fürchtenmachen (Frightening) (14:13) 12. Kind im Einschlummern (Child Falling Asleep) (16:16) 13. Der Dichter spricht (The Poet Speaks)

Robert Schumann’s “Kinderszenen” was composed in 1838 and published the following year without a dedication and with the misleading subtitle “Easy Pieces for the Pianoforte.” Unlike the “Album for the Young,” which Schumann had composed for “younger children” in his own words, he did not write the “Kinderszenen” for children, but for adults reflecting on their own childhood.

At first, the cycle was to be titled “Children’s Stories” and preceded or appended to the “Novelettes,” Op. 21. However, Schumann later refrained from doing so. He wanted to have the “Kinderszenen” published as a separate opus. Although the work was not very successful during the composer’s lifetime, it eventually evolved independently and was highly regarded. It had a significant influence on the Romantic program miniature for piano.

Classical: Pianist Tiffany Poon Plays Schumann

DW Classical Music (January 7, 2024) – A furious piano piece of the Romantic period. Tiffany Poon plays Robert Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6 at the Dresden Music Festival 2023. The concert took place in the Palais im Grossen Garten.

Video timeline: (00:00) Coming on stage (00:27) 1. Lebhaft (02:03) 2. Innig (03:36) 3. Etwas hahnbüchen (05:10) 4. Ungeduldig (06:30) 5. Einfach (08:21) 6. Sehr rasch und in sich hinein (10:05) 7. Nicht schnell mit äußerst starker Empfindung (14:07) 8. Frisch (15:14) 9. No tempo indication (16:46) 10. Balladenmäßig sehr rasch (18:15) 11. Einfach (19:51) 12. Mit Humor (20:36) 13. Wild und lustig (23:44) 14. Zart und singend (25:50) 15. Frisch (27:58) 16. Mit gutem Humor (29:22) 17. Wie aus der Ferne (32:56) 18. Nicht schnell

The Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6, are a two-part piano cycle by Robert Schumann, each consisting of nine character pieces. Schumann wrote 19 pieces, the last of which remains incomplete. The work was composed in the two months following his engagement to Clara Wieck on August 14, 1837. In the first piece, he quotes a motif from the Mazurka No. 5 from her Soirées musicales Op. 6 in the Motto of C. W. He speaks to her of wedding thoughts, which he has incorporated into the pieces. To his friend Carl Montag, however, he spoke of “death dances, St. Vitus’ dances, dances of graces and goblins”.

Schumann’s pseudonyms Florestan and Eusebius also play an important role here. The two characters symbolize his dual role in the fictitious Davidsbund, which also gives this cycle its name. Florestan is the “roaring, exuberant stormtrooper”. Eusebius represents the opposite pole as “the gentle youth who always remains modestly in the background”. In the first edition, the plays are either titled “Florestan and Eusebius” or just one of the two names.

Classical Piano: Alice Sara Ott – Beethoven “Für Elise”

Deutsche Grammophon (July 28, 2023) – Earlier this year, pianist Alice Sara Ott became the face of the Apple Music Classical app when she starred in its launch video, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15 with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and its Chief Conductor Karina Canellakis.

Beethoven: Für Elise, WoO 59 - YouTube

The recording of it now becomes the headline work in Ott’s latest Deutsche Grammophon album, Beethoven. The pianist has paired it with a series of solo works, including “Für Elise” and the “Moonlight” Sonata.