Starting with falling into a dream, Dreaming Kreisleriana contains almost every sensation we could experience in our life. The violent high A in ‘Lied im Traume’ delivers a clear message — it is not going to be a peaceful dream. Having the naughty left hand playing around, Kreisleriana No.8 impresses us with a strong sense of lostness. Gradually dwindling the repeated high G, ‘Glocken’ strikes, as if our important one is going away, calling in distance, and bringing us to the most ardent confession of love, Kreisleriana No.2. The vehement surges at the beginning of ‘Anfangs Lebhaft’ tell exactly how we feel after a confession, agitated and restless. Even though we have not yet received an answer, Kreisleriana No.3 conveys a stubborn resolution, which quietly blurs and fades away in ‘Zerrinnendes Bild’ after short unease — ‘Intermezzo’. Nevertheless, the affection is powerful, rushing back to Kreisleriana No.1 and resulting in weird, childlike behaviours — ‘Kinderlied’. Yet there is always a moment that we realise: no matter how hard we try, everything is hopeless. The helplessness in Kreisleriana No.6 leads to an endless seeking in ‘Fast zu ernst’, provoking Kreisleriana No.5 and receiving numerous fleeting thoughts — ‘Waldszene’. The following ‘Choral’ represents a pilgrimage. As the last hope disappears, we get angry in Kreisleriana No.7. We pray, and finally we ask: ‘Warum?’ Surely, it is desperate, but nothing cannot be healed by Kreisleriana No.4, and, after dreaming the whole life experience, ‘Mit Humor und Feinsinn’ is the time for us to wake up.
i Äußerst bewegt (Extremely animated), D minor
ii Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch (Very inwardly and not too quickly), B♭ major.
iii Sehr aufgeregt (Very agitated), G minor
iv Sehr langsam (Very slowly), B♭ major/G minor
v Sehr lebhaft (Very lively), G minor
vi Sehr langsam (Very slowly), B♭ major
vii Sehr rasch (Very fast), C minor/E♭ major
viii Schnell und spielend (Fast and playful), G minor.
Kreisleriana, Op. 16, is a composition in eight movements by Robert Schumann for solo piano, subtitled Phantasien für das Pianoforte. Schumann claimed to have written it in only four days in April 1838 and a revised version appeared in 1850. The work was dedicated to Frédéric Chopin, but when a copy was sent to the Polish composer, "he commented favorably only on the design of the title page"
i Kinderlied
ii Fast zu ernst
iii Anfangs lebhaft
iv Waldszene
v Choral
vi Warum?
vii Intermezzo
viii Zerrinnendes Bild
ix Glocken
x Lied im Traume
xi Mit Humor und Feinsinn
Referring to Robert Schumann, the title sets the general mood of these character pieces which alternate between Romantic and contemporary tonal language. This is how the composer stresses it in his preface: 'May the performer discover the specific tone of each of the pieces and make it sound sometimes scornful, sometimes dry, tinged with melancholy, yet always with humour and sensitivity.'
Xin Ru Chen - Piano
Appearing across Europe and China for her performance and research, XinRu Chen enjoys her life as a concert pianist, music scholar. Acquiring her PhD from the Royal Academy of Music at age 26, XinRu has performed in many prestigious halls in UK, Finland, Ireland, Spain, Italy and China, including St.Martin in-the-Fields Cathedral, St.James Piccadilly Church, Southwark Cathedral, Regent Hall, Duke’s Hall, Susie Sainsbury Theatre, and the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Her repertoire covers a wide range of romantic and contemporary music, recognised by the Janet Duff Greet Prize in the Christian Carpenter Competition. During the pandemic in 2020, XinRu led a series of experimental concerts at the Royal Academy of Music, live-streaming on the Academy website.
Violin/Cello Duo
18 July 2024
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