Of
Harold Eggebrecht
Clara Schumann and the legendary violinist Joseph Joachim considered the “Violin Concerto” a failure and hid it in shame for decades until its premiere in the 1930s. This misjudgment is incomprehensible when one hears Frank Peter Zimmermann bring Robert Schumann’s Violin Concerto to life. It is captivating how elegant and confident the young musician (together with the WDR Symphony Orchestra under Hans Vonk) designed the first movement in 1992, how lyrically the slow movement dreams itself away and how proudly and virtuosically invites you to a polonaise in the finale. Or how in György Ligeti’s concert (with the Schönberg Ensemble conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw) he meets the wit and sudden pensiveness in the recording from 2001, that captivates immediately.