Images: ©️ Decca and Robin Clewley
There is something misleading in the title of this album, named “Romance – The Piano Music Of Clara Schumann”. This is not a complete set by all means, rather a sample of Clara Schumann’s concertante, chamber and solo works.
The album begins with the Piano Concerto, a piece composed from age 13 and performed first, with Mendelssohn as the conductor, at age 16. It’s a typical flashy Piano Concerto from the late 19th century, though not without some original touches, as the cello dialogue in the second movement, many years before a dear friend, Johannes Brahms, did the same in his second Piano Concerto. Isata Kanneh-Mason performance is very convincing indeed, and her excellent partnership with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Holly Mathieson elevates this sometimes musically predictable piece.
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As the program progresses, so does the quality of the music. The three Romances Op. 11 echos Mendelssohn’s songs without words and the Scherzo Op. 14, though a bit repetitive, gives a hint of Schumann’s renowned virtuosity. Kanneh-Mason shows impressive pianistic capabilities in these two opuses, especially the intricate pedal work and her tone shading in the middle register.
But the biggest surprise here is the Violin Sonata (Op. 22), which finds the composer, Kanneh-Mason and violinist Elena Urioste at their best. The Sonata , a piece of true distinction, was composed for (and performed with) the famous violinist Joseph Joachim, who worked closely with the Schumann couple as well as Brahms. There are slight similarities with Robert Schumann’s late Violin Sonatas, but the piece is first and foremost Clara’s accomplishment, and a shame it’s not performed more often. The performers do them full justice, again showing Kanneh-Mason as a true collaborator as well as a charismatic soloist when called for.
A Late Discovery
After two arrangements of Robert Schumann’s songs, “Widmung” the more familiar but lacks the brilliance of the famous Liszt transcription, we have The Piano Sonata in G Minor, which closes the album. Composed at the early days of her marriage, It was only discovered in full in the 1990s, with only the Scherzo published during the composer’s lifetime (indeed, it’s the best movement of the work). Kanneh-Mason is an ample proponent of the piece, but it can’t be seriously compared with other Piano Sonatas from the period.
The Piano Concerto is an excellent performance to this adolescent creation, and the Violin Sonata is a piece many would want to return to, both because of the composition and for the dedicated performance. Most likely, many will be eager to hear more of Isata Kanneh-Mason in the core repertoire and, Hopefully, this promising album is just a beginning of more to come.
“Romance” – The Piano Music of Clara Schumann
Isata Kanneh-Mason – Piano
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Holly Mathieson – Conductor
Decca Classics, CD 28948500208
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