Robert Schumann

Born in Zwickau, Saxony, in 1810 and died in Endenich near Bonn in 1856, Robert Schumann stands at the heart of German Romanticism, both as composer, music critic and conductor. Initially drawn to a career as a pianist in Leipzig, which a lasting injury to his right hand prevents him from pursuing, Robert Schumann turns to composition and develops a very personal language, initially centered on piano with cycles such as Papillons Op. 2, Carnaval Op. 9, Kinderszenen Op. 15 or Kreisleriana Op. 16. Founder in 1834 of the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, Robert Schumann also participates in the aesthetic debates of his time and supports several musicians of his generation. His marriage to Clara Wieck in 1840 marks a turning point, with an intense output of lieder, including Dichterliebe Op. 48 and the Liederkreis Op. 39, before an expansion toward symphony, chamber music and the concerto. Among his most performed works are the Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54, the four symphonies, the Piano Quintet Op. 44 and the Cello Concerto Op. 129. Settled successively in Leipzig, Dresden and then Düsseldorf, Schumann sees his writing evolve toward denser and more contrapuntal forms, while preserving a strong poetic, inward and literary dimension. The final years of Robert Schumann are marked by grave mental disturbances, but his oeuvre covers a broad range, from song to orchestra, including opera, choral music and piano pieces.