231. Piano Personas

Works for piano by Schumann performed by Paavali Jumppanen on May 4, 2014 and November 30, 2014.Robert Schumann: Variations on the name "Abegg" in F Major, Op. 1Schumann: Sonata in F-sharp Minor Op. 11This podcast comes courtesy of several musical personas. Not just Schumann, the composer of both the works, but also his alter egos – Florestan and Eusebius – the characters he used to personify different aspects of his artistic disposition. It was under these names, not his own, that Schumann published his first piano sonata—the “Grosse Sonate” in F-sharp minor, opus 11. Before the sonata, we’ll hear a shorter showstopper, also by Schumann: Variations on “Abegg,” Schumann’s opus 1, the first piece he ever published. The dedication is to another of Schumann’s fictional friends—the countess Pauline of Abegg, a character likely inspired by Schumann’s childhood friend Meta von Abegg. The piece takes its namesake quite literally, building on a theme using the notes A-B-flat-E-G-G—spelling out the name “Abegg” in the notes. Those five notes are a starting point for a series of variations that are alternately dazzling and lyrical. Both pieces were performed at the Gardner by pianist Paavali Jumppanen. We begin with the Abegg Variations.