Schumann symphonies pleasantly surprise but Mendelssohn steals the show.

Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall
11 February 2015
Robert Schumann is not a composer who readily comes to mind when thinking of the great symphonists. His piano works and lieder have long been regarded as some of the greatest accomplishments for those forces in the canon of western classical music, but while his talent for song is undoubtable his abilities when handling orchestral resources have often been dismissed. However Schumann is enjoying something of a renaissance for his symphonic works at present, with three excellent recordings of all four of Schumann’s much-maligned symphonies released in the past six months.

SSO’s Chief Conductor David Robertson is also doing his part to champion these neglected pieces with the opening performance of the orchestra’s 2015 season featuring Symphonies 1 and 2, the first of two programmes this month presenting Schumann’s complete symphonic cycle. Sharing the billing with Schumann was his close friend and artistic collaborator Felix Mendelssohn and his exquisitely crafted Violin concerto. Mendelssohn’s influence on Schumann, and in particular his symphonies cannot be overstated. As conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra he conducted the premieres of both works in the evening’s programme,...