András Schiff & Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: Schumann

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Sir András Schiff

The career of Sir András Schiff, one of the world’s leading pianists, has already lasted over half a century. You can frequently also experience the all-round musician as a conductor and he regularly collaborates with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Schiff and this orchestra share an interest in historically informed interpretations. In 2021, the perfectly matched duo documented its artistic connection in an acclaimed recording of Brahms’ piano concertos and now presents works by two composers who embody the very essence of German Romanticism: Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. The renown of Robert Schumann’s piano concerto is so great to this day that hardly anyone knows the other works he composed for piano and orchestra. Anyone who wants to change this can let themselves be inspired by Schumann’s »Allegro appassionato« at the start of the concert, which exhausts the whole spectrum of romantic moods from the greatest tenderness to gloomier drama and, as an aside, lights a real firework of pianistic brilliance. Afterwards, Sir András Schiff swaps the keys for the baton and conducts excerpts from Mendelssohn’s »A Midsummer Night’s Dream« – a string of pearls of perfectly drawn scenes and character sketches whose elegance and casual sophistication is consistently astonishing. We come full circle when Schiff returns to the piano in order to conclude the evening with Schumann’s piano concerto, which is quite rightly one of the most popular perennials of the concert repertoire!

Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Sir András Schiff

»There are orchestras, good ones, great ones, and then there is the Chamber Orchestra of Europe«, said Sir András Schiff once. The pianist first got to know the orchestra in 1985. And over the course of their many concerts together, Schiff discovered a passion for conducting. From the piano, he now conducts a classical and Romantic programme in which Joseph Haydn meets his admirer Johannes Brahms. From Haydn the Viennese classicist we have the Sinfonia Concertante for oboe, bassoon, violin, violoncello and orchestra, a piece that was enthusiastically received at its London premiere in 1792. With his orchestral variations on a small (choral) theme from a Haydn divertimento, Brahms wrote his first great orchestral work in 1873, after sketches for a symphony had been incorporated into his first piano concerto in the 1850s. The work, which Sir András Schiff has repeatedly reinterpreted throughout his career, sounds correspondingly symphonic. With all these great pieces, Schiff and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe celebrate almost 40 years of musical friendship!

Sir András Schiff

Sir András Schiff

András Schiff is a master of the Germanic repertoire, especially the works of Bach, which he has performed tirelessly for half a century. He now tackles The Art of Fugue, a score as monumental as it is enigmatic.

Portrait Concert Sir András Schiff

One of András Schiff’s maxims is: »It’s important to be able to listen.« This principle applies especially to chamber music, which has always been a matter close to his heart. Because it is precisely this togetherness, and this listening and responding to each other, that are for him the most beautiful form of making music. Schiff now delivers precisely those kinds of moments of musical bliss with close musical friends such as the tenor Julian Prégardien and the cellist Julia Hagen. For the programme, Schiff has selected Romantic works by his favourite composers. These include Franz Schubert the prince of song and Robert Schumann, whose 1840 »Eichendorff« lieder cycle is on the programme. The programme also features Schumann’s Violin Sonata No. 2, which was premiered in Leipzig in 1852, and the Piano Quartet No. 1 by Schumann’s friend Brahms, which was premiered in Hamburg in 1861.

András Schiff as guest in Bamberg

E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote that "Haydn and Mozart, the creators of the newer instrumental music, first showed us art in its full glory; but Beethoven is the one who looked at it with a gaze full of love and penetrated its innermost essence.” András Schiff features in this concert as both conductor and pianist, performing works inspired by very different places and ideas. Our musical journey will start with one of Haydn’s "London Symphonies”, named for the British capital even though Haydn did not in fact compose it there. Rather, he travelled to England with the score of the E flat major Symphony in his luggage, ready to be premiered shortly after his arrival in 1794. One critic praised its “ideas, as new in music as they are grand and impressive”. Our programme also features Beethoven’s popular Fifth Piano Concerto. It was composed in 1809, when Vienna was being bombarded by French troops. In the English-speaking world, the concerto is known as "Emperor” because of its thundering, martial tone. But its rich trove of complex emotions is equally fascinating – Beethoven is said to have had "the religious songs of pious pilgrims" in mind when composing the Adagio. In addition to these two masterpieces, our orchestra will perform a work that draws on the music of earlier times: the folk music of his native region was an important source of inspiration for Bartók, and his ravishing dance suite is "a kind of ideally conceived peasant music". He wrote it in 1923 for the 50th anniversary of the unification of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest to form the new capital city of Budapest. In doing so, Bartók looked beyond the borders of Hungary, weaving Romanian, Slovakian and even Arabic influences into his work. After all, his goal was to “create a new spirit in music – from musical forces sprung from the earth itself!”This project was originally planned for December 2020 but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic – we are thrilled that the great artist Andràs Schiff is now finally able to join us in Bamberg!

András Schiff as guest in Bamberg

E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote that "Haydn and Mozart, the creators of the newer instrumental music, first showed us art in its full glory; but Beethoven is the one who looked at it with a gaze full of love and penetrated its innermost essence.” András Schiff features in this concert as both conductor and pianist, performing works inspired by very different places and ideas. Our musical journey will start with one of Haydn’s "London Symphonies”, named for the British capital even though Haydn did not in fact compose it there. Rather, he travelled to England with the score of the E flat major Symphony in his luggage, ready to be premiered shortly after his arrival in 1794. One critic praised its “ideas, as new in music as they are grand and impressive”. Our programme also features Beethoven’s popular Fifth Piano Concerto. It was composed in 1809, when Vienna was being bombarded by French troops. In the English-speaking world, the concerto is known as "Emperor” because of its thundering, martial tone. But its rich trove of complex emotions is equally fascinating – Beethoven is said to have had "the religious songs of pious pilgrims" in mind when composing the Adagio. In addition to these two masterpieces, our orchestra will perform a work that draws on the music of earlier times: the folk music of his native region was an important source of inspiration for Bartók, and his ravishing dance suite is "a kind of ideally conceived peasant music". He wrote it in 1923 for the 50th anniversary of the unification of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest to form the new capital city of Budapest. In doing so, Bartók looked beyond the borders of Hungary, weaving Romanian, Slovakian and even Arabic influences into his work. After all, his goal was to “create a new spirit in music – from musical forces sprung from the earth itself!”This project was originally planned for December 2020 but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic – we are thrilled that the great artist Andràs Schiff is now finally able to join us in Bamberg!

Cappella Andrea Barca / Sir András Schiff

András Schiff in his own garden, exploring with relish Bach’s Triple Concerto for flute, violin and harpsichord and the enchanted paths of two of Mozart’s most awe-inspiring piano concertos.

JÖRG WIDMANN, ANTOINE TAMESTIT & SIR ANDRÁS SCHIFF

The music of Robert Schumann has long been a major influence on Jörg Widmann’s own compositions. Joined by Sir András Schiff and Antoine Tamestit, he now brings three of Schumann’s works to the Pierre Boulez Saal that draw inspiration from poetic and non-musical ideas and reflect the Romantic fascination with the world of fairy tales. Alban Berg’s aphoristic Four Pieces of 1913 provide a striking contrast. The program concludes with Mozart’s “Kegelstatt” Trio, the historical model for the unusual combination of clarinet, viola, and piano.

Guest performance with András Schiff in Erlangen

E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote that "Haydn and Mozart, the creators of the newer instrumental music, first showed us art in its full glory; but Beethoven is the one who looked at it with a gaze full of love and penetrated its innermost essence.” András Schiff features in this concert as both conductor and pianist, performing works inspired by very different places and ideas. Our musical journey will start with one of Haydn’s "London Symphonies”, named for the British capital even though Haydn did not in fact compose it there. Rather, he travelled to England with the score of the E flat major Symphony in his luggage, ready to be premiered shortly after his arrival in 1794. One critic praised its “ideas, as new in music as they are grand and impressive”. Our programme also features Beethoven’s popular Fifth Piano Concerto. It was composed in 1809, when Vienna was being bombarded by French troops. In the English-speaking world, the concerto is known as "Emperor” because of its thundering, martial tone. But its rich trove of complex emotions is equally fascinating – Beethoven is said to have had "the religious songs of pious pilgrims" in mind when composing the Adagio. In addition to these two masterpieces, our orchestra will perform a work that draws on the music of earlier times: the folk music of his native region was an important source of inspiration for Bartók, and his ravishing dance suite is "a kind of ideally conceived peasant music". He wrote it in 1923 for the 50th anniversary of the unification of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest to form the new capital city of Budapest. In doing so, Bartók looked beyond the borders of Hungary, weaving Romanian, Slovakian and even Arabic influences into his work. After all, his goal was to “create a new spirit in music – from musical forces sprung from the earth itself!”This project was originally planned for December 2020 but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic – we are thrilled that the great artist Andràs Schiff is now finally able to join us in Bamberg!