Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Schumann At Pier 2 [271:00]
Symphony No. 1 in B flat major
Spring (1841) [31:07]
Symphony No. 2 in C major (1845-6) [37:20]
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major
Rhenish (1850) [32:17]
Symphony No. 4 in D minor (begun 1841; revised and completed 1850) [30:11]
Schumann at Pier 2 - A concert film by Christian Berger
[116:00]
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Bremen/Paavo Järvi
rec. Pier 2, Bremen, Germany, 2012
C MAJOR 711908 
[DVDs 1-2: 155:00; DVD 3: 116:00]
Considering my interest in promulgating classical music amongst potential
young
audiences this set interested me greatly. The young are, all too often,
brought
up on a relentless diet of pop music. Don’t get me wrong I
don’t
have anything against pop and I enjoy some of it. Even so this set has
compelling
attractions particularly because it made its educating so appealing and
interesting.
The greater part of this review will concentrate on that facet.
As director of these films, Christian Berger, explained “My goal was
to
present a music documentary which can touch people, like myself, who grew
up
with pop and rock and music videos - people who perhaps occasionally
listen
to classical music but do not possess an in-depth knowledge of it. I
wanted
to bring the music out of solemn concert halls, present it in an unusual
location
and get as close as possible to see how the conductor communicates with
the
orchestra. And, at the same time, to provide some information to help the
viewer
understand the music better.”
So the chosen location was certainly an unusual one - a series of concerts
in
an industrial landscape: a former dockyard building formerly devoted to
welding
but now converted into a concert hall mainly for pop music. Interestingly,
the
front seats, almost settee-like, were reserved for young people.
One of the documentaries goes into fine detail about how the filming was
set
up including placement and movement of cameras, placement and purposes of
microphones
and set design. One of the best educational notions is the placement of
members
of the orchestra: violinist, cellist, clarinet player and timpanist
against
a completely white background. In this way attention is fully focussed on
them
while they explain the opportunities and challenges a certain passage in a
Schumann
symphony presents and how things are shaded and nuanced. The timpanist,
for
instance, explains his choice of sticks and technique to enable the
optimum
emotional and dramatic effect. Conductor, Paavo Järvi, is also
featured
in this way. He explains his role and gives a thorough but entertaining
view
of the Schumann symphonies touching upon the composer’s life, genius
and
flawed psychological makeup and how these affected his music.
The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie is a self-governing chamber orchestra.
Each
member is a virtuoso and they govern themselves on democratic lines. They
have
performed all over the world to acclaim. They appoint their own music
directors
- currently Paavo Järvi.
Most music-lovers learned to love the four glorious Schumann symphonies as
they
were studying the basic classical repertoire. Suffice to say that under
Järvi,
the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Bremen is fresh-sounding and spontaneous
-
full of emotional insight, dramatic tension and excitement.
Certainly this is not only for music-lovers wanting a fine set of these
four
glorious symphonies but also for those new to classical music and wanting
to
know more about the genre. The message is conveyed in a no-nonsense,
straightforward
manner.
Ian Lace
Masterwork Index:
Schumann
symphonies
