Schumann and Borisova-Ollas

Ahead of Robert Schumann’s 200th birthday, Victoria Borisova-Ollas wrote double concerto Wunderbare Leiden. The name comes from one of Robert’s diary entries, and is a telling example of his dramatic emotional life. Musically, both Mr and Mrs Schumann can be sensed in the concert, which was written for two pianists – like the Schumanns! Robert Schumann only wrote one opera during his career – Genoveva – after a medieval German legend about love and unfaithfulness. Don Juan, Richard Strauss’ second symphonic poem, was the piece that really established him as a composer.