by Ben Hogwood. Picture by Johann Anton Völlner, Hamburg, courtesy of Wikipedia

On this day, 170 years ago, the composer Robert Schumann died in Bonn at the age of just 46.

For a while it was fashionable to criticise him on account of his musical quality, and especially orchestration – and indeed Mahler re-orchestrated all four of his numbered symphonies. Yet time has shown him to have much greater substance, with Schumann’s influence on composers such as György Kurtág revealed more explicitly in recent years. One piece the Hungarian composer treasures in particular is the late Märchenerzählungen (Fairy Tale Narrations) Op.132, for clarinet, viola and piano:

One of the composer’s greatest champions is cellist Steven Isserlis, who can be seen playing the glorious Adagio and Allegro in A flat major Op.70 with Connie Shih:

Published post no.2,962 – Wednesday 29 July 2026