Brian Blackwell wrote:

>Most 20th-century prejudice against the concerto seems to stem from a
>wider-ranging misunderstanding of Schumann's late style - the idea that
>he somehow ran out of the spontaneous inspiration to be found in abundance
>in the early piano works.  A similar attitude used to be held against the
>later symphonies (2 and 3) and chamber music.  To my ears, his later style
>is not inferior, simply different - more intellectual, motivic, densely
>contrapuntal - almost anticipating Brahms.  ...

I agree with your opinion on Schumann's orchestral works.  In those works,
Schumann is calm and sober composer, different from the romantic in Lied
and piano works.  I heard a performance of his symphony No.2 by the Dresden
Philarmony (not famous Staats Kpelle) in Dresden several years ago*, I was
much surprised with the expression.  I believe that this work often
connotes madness of his later days.  But, Dresden orchestra played totally
differrent.  I know that Schumann was regarded as successor of Beethoven in
symphony by his contemporaries.  The performance proved it.  Thomas Hampson
sang first version of Dichterliebe in Tokyo in 1997(?) with Sawallisch at
the piano. They made a CD of the repertoire.  This version reveals more
classical Schumann.  While the later version is more refined and well
organized, the first version is as interesting as "Leonore", the first
version of "Fidelio".  * As a matter of fact, I went to the concert to hear
Weissenberg in the Emperor concerto.  But, he fell ill and absent from the
concert.  Two years after it, when he appeared in Tokyo, he lost memory of
the work and couln't complete the performance.  I love his performance and
hope to come back to the stage.

Kazuo Takada
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