Robert Schumann, Daguerreotype portrait, 1849 Photo:
Robert and Clara Schumann moved their family to Dusseldorf on the Rhine, and the great river served as its inspiration for Schumann’s most outwardly sunny symphony. The poet Heinrich Heine was similarly charmed, writing ‘The Rhine, the beautiful river reflets in its waves with its great cathedral, the great holy city of Cologne’. Schumann’s Rhenish symphony is structured almost arch-like in its five movements, and pays direct tribute to the monumental cathedral in the hymn-like fourth movement. There’s a moderate Scherzo that’s followed by a gentle stroll of an Intermezzo, and the outer first and fifth movements are exuberantly joyful. For those familiar with Brahms’ symphonies, it’s touching to know that he referenced this symphony when writing his own third symphony, the opening themes bearing striking similarities.
