Schumann: Orchestral Works

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Explore the complete catalog of Orchestral compositions by Schumann. This curated list includes composition years, historical Wikipedia context, and interactive audio to add specific tracks directly to your listening queue.

Title Year Actions
Cello Concerto in A minor, op. 129

The Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129, by Robert Schumann was completed in a period of only two weeks, between 10 October and 24 October 1850, shortly after Schumann became the music director at Düsseldorf. The concerto was never played in Schumann's lifetime. It was premiered on 23 April 1860, four years after his death, in Oldenburg, with Ludwig Ebert as soloist. The length of a typical performance is about 25 minutes.

Fantasy for violin and orchestra in C major, op. 131

This list of compositions by Robert Schumann is classified into piano, vocal, orchestral and chamber works. All works are also listed separately, by opus number. Schumann wrote almost exclusively for the piano until 1840, when he burst into song composition around the time of his marriage to Clara Wieck. Partly due to Clara Schumann's encouragement, he then expanded his oeuvre to orchestral works, composing the 1st symphony, the 4th symphony, and the Overture, Scherzo and Finale Op. 52 in the year of 1841. The next year, 1842, is known as 'the year of chamber works,' where he notably composed 3 String Quartets, a Piano Quintet, and a Piano Quartet. Robert Schumann is known as one of the most prolific composers in the Romantic era, producing multiple works for multiple instruments, forms, and genres (both absolute and program music). The list is based on lists of his works, such as in the 2001 biography by Eric Frederick Jensen.

Hermann und Dorothea, op. 136

Hermann and Dorothea is an epic poem, an idyll, written by German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe between 1796 and 1797, and was to some extent suggested by Johann Heinrich Voss's Luise, an idyll in hexameters, which was first published in 1782–1784. Goethe's work is set around 1792 at the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars, when French forces under General Custine invaded and briefly occupied parts of the Palatinate. The hexameters of the nine cantos are at times irregular. With the poem as his source, Robert Schumann composed an overture in B minor entitled Hermann and Dorothea, his Op. 136. The overture dates from 1851.

Introduction and Allegro appassionato, op. 92

The Introduction and Allegro appassionato (Konzertstück) for piano and orchestra in G major, Op. 92, was composed by Robert Schumann in September 1849. It received its first performance in Leipzig on February 14, 1850, with Clara Schumann at the piano with Julius Rietz conducting. The work was published in 1852. The work takes around 15 minutes to perform.

Introduction and Concert Allegro, op. 134

Robert Schumann's Introduction and Concert Allegro (German: Konzert-Allegro mit Introduktion) in D minor for piano and orchestra, Op. 134, was one of his last works. Composed in 1853, Schumann gave the autograph score to his wife, Clara Schumann, as a birthday gift; she would give the first performance on 26 November. The work is dedicated to Johannes Brahms, and a typical performance is 13–14 minutes long.

Julius Caesar, op. 128

In music, Op. 128 stands for Opus number 128. Compositions that are assigned this number include: Reger – Vier Tondichtungen nach A. Böcklin Saint-Saëns – The Assassination of the Duke of Guise Schumann – Julius Caesar

Konzertstück for 4 Horns and Orchestra, op. 86

The Konzertstück for Four Horns and large orchestra in F major, Op. 86, was composed by Robert Schumann in 1849 and premiered at the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1850. The duration of the performance is approximately 18 to 20 minutes.

Overture, Scherzo and Finale, op. 52

Overture (from French ouverture, lit. "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which were independent, self-existing, instrumental, programmatic works that foreshadowed genres such as the symphonic poem. These were "at first undoubtedly intended to be played at the head of a programme". The idea of an instrumental opening to opera existed during the 17th century. Peri's Euridice opens with a brief instrumental ritornello, and Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (1607) opens with a toccata, in this case a fanfare for muted trumpets. More important was the prologue, consisting of sung dialogue between allegorical characters which introduced the overarching themes of the stories depicted.

Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54

The Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54, by the German Romantic composer Robert Schumann was completed in 1845 and is the composer's only piano concerto. The complete work was premiered in Dresden on 4 December 1845. It is one of the most widely performed and recorded piano concertos from the Romantic period. The autograph manuscript of the concerto is preserved in the Heinrich Heine Institute in Düsseldorf.

Symphony in G minor, WoO 29, "Zwickau"

Symphony in G minor ("Zwickau"), WoO29 is an unfinished symphony by Robert Schumann, written between October 1832 and May 1833.

Symphony no. 1 in B flat major, op. 38, "Spring"

The Symphony No. 1 in B♭ major, Op. 38, also known as the Spring Symphony, is the first completed symphonic work composed by Robert Schumann.

Symphony no. 2 in C major, op. 61

The Symphony in C major by German composer Robert Schumann was published in 1847 as his Symphony No. 2, Op. 61, although it was the third symphony he had completed, counting the B♭ major symphony published as No. 1 in 1841, and the original version of his D minor symphony of 1841 (later revised and published as No. 4). It is dedicated to Oscar I, king of Sweden and Norway.

Symphony no. 3 in E flat major, op. 97, "Rhenish"

The Symphony No. 3 in E♭ major, Op. 97, also known as the Rhenish, is the last symphony composed by Robert Schumann, although not the last published. It was composed from 2 November to 9 December 1850 and premiered on 6 February 1851 in Düsseldorf, conducted by Schumann himself, and was received with mixed reviews, "ranging from praise without qualification to bewilderment". However, according to A. Peter Brown, members of the audience applauded between every movement, and especially at the end of the work when the orchestra joined them in congratulating Schumann by shouting "hurrah!".

Symphony no. 4 in D minor, op. 120

The Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120, composed by Robert Schumann, was first completed in 1841. Schumann heavily revised the symphony in 1851, and it was this version that reached publication. Clara Schumann, Robert's widow, later wrote on the first page of the score to the symphony—as published in 1882 as part of her husband's complete works (Robert Schumanns Werke, Herausgegeben von Clara Schumann, published by Breitkopf & Härtel)—that the symphony had merely been sketched in 1841 but was only fully orchestrated ("vollständig instrumentiert") in 1851. However, this was untrue, and Johannes Brahms, who greatly preferred the earlier version of the symphony, published that version in 1891 despite Clara's strenuous objections.

The Bride of Messina, op. 100

In music, Op. 100 stands for Opus number 100. Compositions that are assigned this number include: Brahms – Violin Sonata No. 2 Dvořák – Violin Sonatina Prokofiev - Symphony No. 5 Reger – Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Hiller Schubert – Piano Trio No. 2 Schumann – The Bride of Messina Sibelius – Suite caractéristique, for small orchestra (1922)

Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23

Robert Schumann's Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23, written in 1853, was his only violin concerto and one of his last significant compositions. It remained unknown to all but a very small circle for more than 80 years after it was written.