As an amateur violinist I was a member of several orchestras that included the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra and the San Jose Symphony. There is no better way to become connected to a wonderful composition than to learn and rehearse it, and finally perform it…
The sketch for the Schumann C-major Symphony took less than a week’s effort, but its completion, delayed by Schumann’s bouts of failing health and, worse, poor self-confidence, took nearly a year. With Mendelssohn’s encouragement, the task was finally completed and Mendelssohn led the premiere with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra on November 5, 1846.
For several years Schumann’s orchestral works were out of favor with the German and Viennese public. Invariably, Schumann’s compositions were compared to those by Beethoven, and the Viennese public found them to be “ein Skandal”…
The remarkably cooperative Mendelssohn, however, agreed to a second performance two weeks after the first.For this occasion, Schumann made substantial changes in the orchestration, including what turned out to be a magnificent inspiration: the addition of the trombones.
The second movement titled “Adagio Espressivo” is my great favorite, and here it is for your enjoyment:
