Schumann Kian Soltani, Camerata Salzburg, & Gregory Ahss

• Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856): Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129:
• 1Schumann: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129: I. Nicht zu schnell11:26
• 2Schumann: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129: IIa. Sehr langsam03:13
• 3Schumann: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129: IIb. Etwas lebhafter01:08
• 4Schumann: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129: III. Sehr lebhaft07:49
• 12 Klavierstücke für kleine und große Kinder, Op. 85:
• 5Schumann: 12 Klavierstücke für kleine und große Kinder, Op. 85: No. 12, Abendlied (Arr. Rot for Cello and Orchestra)03:08
• Liederkreis, Op. 39:
• 6Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 39: No. 7, Auf einer Burg (Arr. Rot for Cello and Orchestra)03:11
• 5 Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102:
• 7Schumann: 5 Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102: No. 2, Langsam (Arr. Rot for Cello and Orchestra)03:40
• Liederkreis, Op. 39:
• 8Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 39: No. 5, Mondnacht (Arr. Rot for Cello and Orchestra)03:46
• Myrten, Op. 25:
• 9Schumann: Myrten, Op. 25: No. 7, Die Lotusblume (Transcr. Soltani for Cello and Piano)01:41
• Dichterliebe, Op. 48:
• 10Schumann: Dichterliebe, Op. 48: No. 10, Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen (Transcr. Soltani for Cello and Piano)01:44
• Liederkreis, Op. 39:
• 11Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 39: No. 1, In der Fremde (Transcr. Soltani for Cello and Piano)01:45
• Waldszenen, Op. 82:
• 12Schumann: Waldszenen, Op. 82: No. 9, Abschied (Transcr. Soltani for Cello and Piano)02:49
• Liederkreis, Op. 39:
• 13Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 39: No. 9, Wehmut (Transcr. Soltani for Cello and Piano)02:01
• Liederalbum für die Jugend, Op. 79:
• 14Schumann: Liederalbum für die Jugend, Op. 79: No. 27, Schneeglöckchen (Transcr. Soltani for Cello and Piano)01:31
• Myrten, Op. 25:
• 15Schumann: Myrten, Op. 25: No. 1, Widmung (Transcr. Soltani for Cello and Piano)02:12
• 6 Lieder, Op. 13:
• 16Schumann: 6 Lieder, Op. 13: No. 1, Ich stand in dunklen Träumen (Transcr. Soltani for Cello and Piano)02:17
• Total Runtime53:21

Info for Schumann

"His music is poetry," writes Kian Soltani in his own liner notes for his much-anticipated, all-Schumann release. Together with Camerata Salzburg, the young cellist simultaneously plays and conducts the monumental Cello Concerto, as well as orchestrated songs. Additionally, the album includes a smattering of Soltani's most cherished lieder transcriptions, accompanied by pianist Julien Quentin.

Soltani now performs and conducts this concerto as well as four other newly orchestrated works by the composer with the musicians of the Camerata Salzburg and their concertmaster Gregory Ahss. Accompanied by French pianist Julien Quentin, he will also perform his own transcriptions for cello and piano of songs by Robert and Clara Schumann. Kian Soltani - Schumann will be released on 27 September 2024.

In a text for the album, Soltani analyses the cello concerto movement by movement and also discusses the skill with which the composer combines strict form with lyrical freedom and thus gives space to the two sides of his artistic personality: the stormy, fiery Florestan and the introverted, shy Eusebius. Soltani explains: ‘Like a high-wire act, Schumann's cello concerto constantly walks between all these poles. Right from the start, they collide: the free flow of the music, the compositional skill, the inwardness of Eusebius and the passionate urge of Florestan.’

The fact that Schumann created a concerto of such balanced compositional artistry from such contrasting elements is all the more remarkable as he wrote and orchestrated it in just two weeks in October 1850. However, it was not until four years later, at the beginning of 1854, that he took the time to revise the proofs of the score sent to him by the publisher Breitkopf & Härtel. He was already suffering from demonic acoustic hallucinations. Six days after the revision, he attempted suicide. Schumann died in 1856 and never saw a performance of the cello concerto. It finally celebrated its premiere in 1860, but only took its rightful place in the repertoire decades later, launched by Pablo Casals.

The cello concerto as a whole is imbued with the relationship between the solo instrument and the human voice and the genre of the art song, which Schumann mastered like no other. ‘It was important to me to continue this arc and put together a selection of my absolute favourite Schumann songs,’ explains Soltani, ’always profound, always personal and always deeply moving, sometimes with string accompaniment, sometimes with piano accompaniment.’

The four orchestral transcriptions arranged by Michael Rot and Matthias Spindler are two ‘wordless songs’ (‘Abendlied’ from the 12 piano pieces for four hands for small and large children, op. 85, and the second of the 5 pieces in folk tone, op. 102, for cello and piano), the other two (‘Mondnacht’ and ‘Auf einer Burg’) are from the Liederkreis, op. 39.

Soltani's transcriptions for cello and piano include two further pieces from Opus 39, ‘In der Fremde’ and ‘Wehmut’, as well as songs from Myrthen and Dichterliebe, among others. The album ends with the arrangement of ‘Ich stand in dunklen Träumen’, a song that was not written by Robert, but by his wife, the composer and pianist Clara. It is astonishing how close the sound worlds and ideas of the two are, says Soltani - ‘two soul mates who share an inner language. “nist is able to trigger such strong associations in me as Robert Schumann,” says Soltani.

Kian Soltani, cello, conductor
Julien Quentin, piano
Gregory Ahss, violin
Camerata Salzburg

No biography found.

Booklet for Schumann