Aspects of Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes. Semantic Character and Some Performance-Related Implications
Aspects of Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes. Semantic Character and Some Performance-Related Implications

Summary/Abstract: The paper on the semantic character of Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes is structured into three chapters. Chapter 1 describes each etude discursively, Chapter 2 presents a table evaluating the etudes by means of the 5-valued logic and of a list of expressive markings and Chapter 3 compares two recordings of the work, by Sviatoslav Richter and Wilhelm Kempff. From the analysis in Chapter 1 we learn that Schumann successfully describes in this work an entire range of psychological characters, from melancholy, grave, funereal in the theme, to mysterious, pathetic, dreamy, martial, humorous, agitated, bright, energetic, penitent, triumphant in the variations. Chapter 2 represents an attempt to weigh more precisely the character of each variation. To this end, the author compares them to one another, employs a list of 25 expressive markings as different as possible semantic-wise, and evaluates them with the help of 5-valued logic (analytical method developed by Dinu Ciocan). Chapter 3 presents comparatively the recordings by two great pianists, which enable the reader to see how many different interpretations the brilliant Schumannian text is open to, depending on the character of each performer.

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