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Like a painter who experiences the urge
to spread out before herself, canvas after
canvas, a work that becomes her œuvre, I
feel a powerful need to construct something
in the long term – whereas my usual role
stops short at the end of a single concert.
My means of expression is performance,
and my universe is that of Schumann.
I feel at home in Schumann’s musical world,
steeped as it is in passion, torment, literary
allusions, humour and spontaneous élan.
His music is not ‘constructed’ in the way
the term is traditionally understood.
Its dominant element is spontaneity:
instantaneous switches from one mood to
another, structural imperfections caused
by the rush of inspiration. It’s as if he must
always be forging ahead: the emotions set
down on paper jostle one another, as if he
knew that time was going to be precious
to him.
It is this perpetual, hallucinated struggle
with fate that is somagnificent inSchumann.
48 SCHUMANN_LIVE COMPLETE SOLO PIANOWORKS
I FEEL AT HOME IN
SCHUMANN’S MUSICAL
WORLD, STEEPED AS IT IS
IN PASSION, TORMENT,
LITERARYALLUSIONS,
HUMOUR AND
SPONTANEOUS ÉLAN.
IT IS THIS
PERPETUAL,
HALLUCINATED
STRUGGLEWITH FATE
THAT IS SOMAGNIFICENT
IN SCHUMANN.