Schumann: Edition

Robert Schumann is generally remembered for two main characteristics: the sheer number of compositions, especially his piano music, produced in his relatively short life; and his passionate and deeply tumultuous relationship with Clara Schumann, born Wieck, his wife and also a very talented pianist. Schumann's life was often clouded by periods of depression and emotional turmoil, to the extent that he spent the last two years of his life in an asylum tormented by flashes of paranoia and delusion, combined with a faltering memory. Despite - or perhaps because of - his turbulent emotional state, Schumann has managed to complete hundreds of compositions, ranging from grand orchestral works to intimate songs and even full-fledged opera. Throughout his life, Schumann composed for the piano, inspired by his initially secret and forbidden love for Clara (he was not allowed to marry her until 1840 after a long legal battle). He also often composed his piano works during the last phase of his life, when he was in a psychiatric institution. No fewer than 14 of the 45 CDs on this release are devoted to Schumann's piano music.