Waldszenen

The mystery and wildness of the natural landscape had a hold on Romantic poets and composers alike. As Wordsworth wandered through the Lake District, Robert Schumann found solace in the German countryside. Avoiding the revolutions that were sweeping across Europe in 1848, Schumann—now married to pianist/composer Clara and father to a growing family—wrote Waldszenen (Forest Scenes) over the new year in 1849. With nine disparate movements lasting around 20 minutes, it was to be his last major cycle for solo piano. Like the earlier Kinderszenen (Childhood Scenes) from 1838, Waldszenen is highly evocative, with horn-like phrases invoking the “Jäger auf der Lauer” (“Hunters on the Lookout”). But this is more than a bucolic soundtrack to a stroll in the woods: Schumann, never one to shirk hard-hitting themes in his music, captures existential angst. The “Verrufene Stelle” ("Place of Evil Fame”) twitches with discontent, while “Vogel als Prophet” (“Bird as Prophet”) chirps its wisdom.