Raghu wrote:

>Alone among the great composers for the piano, I am unable to appreciate
>Robert Schumann.  I am a great admirer of the music of his contemporaries
>Liszt, Brahms, and in particular Chopin.  In addition, I am an amateur
>pianist and have played a few of Schumann's smaller pieces.  ...

Well,i have a tip on this,i hope it can be useful to you.  In the human
learning procces,normally the human being begin it with an aproach of
extreme simplicity,then it works on a complexity wich sometimes rise up to
a very high degree,then after it comes maturity and with it a simplicity
comes again,bus a result of a trascendental knowledge of things.  In
Schumann music,the aparent lack of coherence sometimes is owned to an
attitude of supreme mastering of the form, product of his complete
mastering of the academic musical composition knowledge.For this reason he
was not more interested in academic rules (as most great artists did).
this plus a degree of exalted phantasy owned to his mental sickness made
the result you knows.  As any other great composer, you can listen too, a
works of great coherence and imagination,like "Chilhood scenes",a real
masterwork in this field.Also a good example is "Forest scenes".What about
the Sonata Op.11 in F#minor,in which you can find anticipations of Scriabin
music in the last movement.etc.  Actually, from my very personal point of
view, Schumann is a composer to listen without to much thinking in
structure,but after it,you will realize is a lot of material to make a good
sesion of musical analisis.It's a lot of "music" inside.  About recordings:
I further reccomend,Cmayor phantasie played by Horowitz at his live
performance at Carnegie Hall (1,975).  The same work played by Pollini.
The A minor concerto played by Rubinstein.Also played by Anton Kamper.  The
"Vienna carnival" played by Richter The F#minor sonata played by Pollini.
Humoresque played by Radu Lupu.  Well i think if you listen with patience
this versions, maybe you will experiment a little change in your relation
with Schumann music.If not ,don't worried,finally taste is a very personal
thing.  Best wishes.

Gerardo:.