‘The first thing to be said about this Schumann cycle is how splendidly alert the orchestral playing is,’ writes Misha Donat in his review of this recording in our November issue. ‘The Scottish Chamber Orchestra must be one of the finest ensembles of its kind in the world today.’
‘It’s principle conductor, Robin Ticciati, is very much on his toes, too, paying meticulous attention to detail throughout.’
Schumann composed his Symphony No. 1 – Spring – in 1841 over a period of just four days. He was full of excitement about the work, noting in his diary: ‘I am full of thanks to my guardian angel, who has let me finish a large work with such ease… I am tempted to smash my piano; it has become too restrictive for my ideas.’
The inspiration for the Spring Symphony came from a poem by Adolph Böttger that depicts spring’s arrival throwing off the shackles of a cold winter.
Robin Ticciati (born 16 April 1983, London) is a British conductor of Italian ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Niso Ticciati, was a composer and arranger. His father is a barrister, and his mother is a therapist. His older brother is a violinist, and his sister is a theology professor.
WIKIPEDIA
