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30 ROBERT SCHUMANN
In the first edition of the
Davidsbündlertänze
, Schumann signs each piece
either with an
E.
for Eusebius or an
F.
for Florestan, but sometimes he
signs
F. und E.
: how do you perceive this ‘joint signature’?
Some of the pieces signed
F. und E.
alternate between a meditative mood and
passionate excitement, but I have a special fondness for the fifteenth piece, the
central section of which is perhaps a genuine and rare moment when the doubles
actually merge, a moment of unity regained, ephemeral but extremely moving.
From the structural point of view, it’s interesting to note that, as in
Carnaval
where
we meet the
Préambule
again in the concluding
Marche
, the
Davidsbündlertänze
takes up again towards the end an element that was presented near the start.
The second piece, signed Eusebius, is quoted almost note-for-note at the end of
the penultimate piece, in a striking mirror effect. For me, that unexpected reprise
is always a moment of inexpressible and miraculous emotion. This penultimate
piece is marked
Wie aus der Ferne
(As if from afar) – but the marking is practically
redundant, so strong, almost vertiginous, is the sensation of spatial and temporal
distance. In the middle of the piece, with a modulation, a few, barely recognisable
notes fromVult’s theme in
Papillons
suddenly appear in the bass, like an involuntary
reminiscence emerging from the depths of memory.