Taking a closer look at Schumann's "Carnaval"

Cézanne's "Pierrot and Harlequin" (1888)

by Ken

We began listening to Schumann's great piano suite Carnaval Friday night, listening to contrasting pairs -- the composer's dual self-portraint in "Eusebius" and "Florestan" and the "Noble Waltz" and "German Waltz" plus the rousing conclusion, the "March of the League of David Against the Philistines."

We're not going to go as far into Carnaval as I expected Friday night, for various reasons. Partly it's because I've just acquired a couple of recordings I didn't have, and have a number of others on order. But partly it's because exquisitely crafted miniatures can go by so quickly that we can scarcely taken them in, and so I want to slow these down -- sort of the way we did back in January 2011 with the exquisitely crafted miniatures that make up Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, which spread over two previews and two main posts ("We begin our walk-through of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition" and "Concluding our walking tour").

So today we're going to focus just on the beginning and the end of Carnaval, building on the portions we've already heard. And we're going to start with another contrasting pair, the first numbers in the suite following the "Préambule," Schumann's portraits of two stock commedia dell'arte figures.

SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9:
2. Pierrot: Moderato (2/4)
3. Arlequin: Vivo (3/4)
[A]

[B]


I can tell you that our performers are two members of our Carnaval "team," which is shaping up to consist of:

Claudio Arrau
Alicia de Larrocha
Nelson Freire
Wilhelm Kempff
Yevgeny Kissin
Leonard Pennario
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Charles Rosen
Arthur Rubinstein

BEFORE WE HEAR "PIERROT" AND "ARLEQUIN"
AGAIN, HERE'S A NOTE BY CHARLES ROSEN

Charles Rosen -- "not only a pianist but perhaps
the most illuminating writer on music in our time"

Rosen is not only a pianist but perhaps the most illuminating writer on music in our time.

2. "Pierrot" (Moderato) is a revolutionary work of pure instrumental music in its use of the grotesque. It is a character piece: relentless, deliberately monotonous, but with sudden jerky movements like the personage of the commedia dell'arte; it makes no pretensions to beauty or charm. The drama arises from the cumulative crescendo towards the end with a final and very original pedal effect, as the penultimate chord gradually frees itself of all the heavy pedal sonority.

3. "Arlequin" (Vivo) is also a grotestque character piece, with sudden changes of dynamics, and with a dancing charm.

Let's hear our earlier performances again, properly identified:

SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9:
2. Pierrot: Moderato (2/4)
3. Arlequin: Vivo (3/4)
[A]

Nelson Freire, piano. Decca, recorded in Lugano, Dec. 18-22, 2002
[B]

Yevgeny Kissin, piano. BMG, recorded in Freiburg, 2001

(Not to worry, by the way, we're going to hear Charles Rosen's performances below.)

I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO HEAR
THE "EUSEBIUS"-"FLORESTAN" PAIRING AGAIN

First, here's another note from Charles Rosen (whose performances, again, we're going to hear later):

5. "Eusebius" (Adagio) is the first half of a double self-portrait. Schumann directs the pianist to play the beginning and end absolutely without pedal; the middle section not only is marked to be played with pedal, but it must swim in pedal in order to sustain the long rolling chords. "Eusebius" is the introverted side of Schumann, and the repressed emotion breaks out freely in the middle only to be pushed back once more.

6. "Florestan" (Passionato) is the passionate extrovert side of Schumann, capricious, moody, and unpredictable. A half-remembered echo of an earlier work keeps breaking in and interrupting the waltz, which finishes -- or, better, cannot finish at all -- in a paroxysm of rage.

SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9:
5. Eusebius: Adagio; Più lento molto teneramente (2/4)
6. Florestan: Passionato (3/4)


Nelson Freire, piano. Decca, recorded in Lugano, Dec. 18-22, 2002

Yevgeny Kissin, piano. BMG, recorded in Freiburg, 2001

NOW WE'RE GOING TO PUT THESE PIECES

TOGETHER, WITH SOME ADD-INS

We'll have the whole opening of the piece by adding the "Valse noble," which follows them (and which we heard Friday), adding the rousing "Préambule," which we haven't heard before.

SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9:
1. Préambule: Quasi maestoso; Più moto; Animato; Presto (3/4)
2. Pierrot: Moderato (2/4)
3. Arlequin: Vivo (3/4)
4. Valse noble: Un poco maestoso (3/4)
5. Eusebius: Adagio; Più lento molto teneramente (2/4)
6. Florestan: Passionato (3/4)


Claudio Arrau, piano. Philips, recorded in Amsterdam, September 1966

Alicia de Larrocha, piano. Decca, recorded in London, November 1987


NOW WE'RE GOING TO SKIP TO THE END

We pick up with No. 16, the "Valse allemande," which we heard Friday night, though this time we're going to hear the following "Intermezzo," a portrait of the composer Nicolò Paganini, which is followed by a partial reprise of the "Valse allemande," only indicated to be played faster this time. Then we hear three pieces we haven't heard yet, "Aveu" ("Confession"), "Promenade," and the most unpauselike "Pause" you're likely ever to hear, which leads us straight into the concluding "March of the League of David Against the Philistines."

SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9:
16. Valse allemande (German Waltz): Molto vivace (3/4)
17. Intermezzo: Paganini Presto (2/4)
(reprise of Valse allemande: Tempo I ma più vivo)
18. Aveu (Confession): Passionato (2/4)
19. Promenade: Con moto (3/4)
20. Pause: Vivo, precipitandosi (3/4)
21. Marche des Davidsbündler contre les Philistins (March of the League of David Against the Philistines): Non allegro (3/4)


Alicia de Larrocha, piano. Decca, recorded in London, November 1987

Wilhelm Kempff, piano. DG, recorded in Hannover, March 1971

LET'S JUMP AHEAD AND HEAR ALL OF CARNAVAL

Here's the complete suite in Charles Rosen's later recording, from the three-LP set Schumann: The Revolutionary Masterpieces released by Nonesuch in 1982, which is also the source for the Rosen program notes quoted above.

SCHUMANN: Carnaval, Op. 9:
1. Préambule: Quasi maestoso; Più moto; Animato; Presto (3/4)
2. Pierrot: Moderato (2/4)
3. Arlequin: Vivo (3/4)
4. Valse noble: Un poco maestoso (3/4)
5. Eusebius: Adagio; Più lento molto teneramente (2/4)
6. Florestan: Passionato (3/4)
7. Coquette: Vivo (3/4)
8. Réplique: L'istesso tempo (3/4)
9. Papillons: Prestissimo (2/4)
10. A.S.C.H. -- S.C.H.A. (Lettres dansantes) (Dancing Letters): Presto (3/4)
11. Chiarina: Passionato (3/4)
12. Chopin: Agitato (6/4)
13. Estrella: Con affetto; Più presto molto espressivo; Tempo I (3/4)
14. Reconnaissance: Animato (2/4)
15. Pantalon et Colombine: Presto (2/4)
16. Valse allemande (German Waltz): Molto vivace (3/4)
17. Intermezzo: Paganini Presto (2/4)
(with reprise of Valse allemande: Tempo I ma più vivo)
18. Aveu (Confession): Passionato (2/4)
19. Promenade: Con moto (3/4)
20. Pause: Vivo, precipitandosi (3/4)
21. Marche des Davidsbündler contre les Philistins (March of the League of David Against the Philistines): Non allegro (3/4)


Charles Rosen, piano. Nonesuch, recorded in the Netherlands, c1981

COMING UP IN SUNDAY CLASSICS

Next week I thought we'd continue with "The Story of Manon Lescaut," then the week after finish up (or try) with Carnaval.

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