Behind the masks of Florestan and Eusebius: Schumann's Kreisleriana

Kapellmeister Johannes Kreisler sketched by ETA Hoffmann

Robert and Clara Schumann, lithography by Eduard Kaiser (1847)

By Aaron Davies, 01 October 2017

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“Play my Kreisleriana sometimes! There's a very wild love in a few movements, and your life and mine”

Lawrence Dunn, 15th January

The young Belgian conductor has had a long association with the Flanders Symphony – and this January he takes the chief’s baton from departing Kristiina Poska, who reaffirmed the orchestra’s crisp, classical sound.

The magical world of composers’ handwriting

Lawrence Dunn, 17th December

From Buxtehude, Bach and Handel, to contemporary composer Liza Lim, we take a tour of the myriad forms of composers’ handwriting and calligraphy – and how music makes itself on the page.

Gaining entry to Schumann’s Paradise and the Peri

Eleanor Knight, 5th March

Simon Rattle called Robert Schumann’s strange, Orientalist oratorio “the greatest masterpiece you’ve never heard of”. We discover this enigmatic piece ahead of Insula orchestra’s production at La Seine Musicale.

Making music humanly: Gautier Capuçon

Charlotte Gardner, 7th February

Ahead of an appearance in Lugano in March, the busy French cellist talks about his relationships with Martha Argerich, his brother Renaud, and mentoring young musicians with the Fondation Gautier Capuçon.

Historically informed ultramodernism: La Seine Musicale

Bachtrack, 14th June

Founded by Laurence Equilbey, cutting-edge period ensemble Insula orchestra is at the heart of La Seine Musicale’s classical season, which features guest ensembles and soloists from around the world.

The most literary of all composers: Hélène Grimaud on Robert Schumann

Jessica Duchen, 20th March

The virtuoso pianist talks about Schumann’s Piano Concerto, and her fascination with the wider literary and musical world of the Schumanns.

Aaron Davies

A lifelong aficionado of classical music in all its various guises, Aaron spent his formative years studying musical composition whilst playing a number of instruments. Today, his day job involves running an international technology business. He derives particular pleasure from expanding his “virtual” music library via the use of online streaming services. If pressed to compile a desert island disc, he would most likely select works from the catalogues of Beethoven, Schumann, Rachmaninov and Gershwin.

Behind the masks of Florestan and Eusebius: exploring Schumann's Kreisleriana