Triumph! Victory! The National Arts Centre Orchestra couldn\u2019t be prouder to present Romance and Counterpoint, the final album in a years-long showcase of Johannes Brahms\u2019s and the Schumanns\u2019s incredible repertoire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Symphony No. 4<\/em>, composed by Robert Schumann, is a perfect encapsulation of the excitement of the album\u2019s release. It\u2019s a four-movement work that\u2019s energetic and upbeat – a celebratory dance! – but it still has all the drama the listener has come to love about Robert Schumann. The violins are light, bouncing gleefully through the movements until the heavy brass section fights for dominance in the last section. In the end, they\u2019re both ushered out by a proud drumbeat. It\u2019s a work that evokes Robert\u2019s mindset while he wrote in his later years \u2013 a lot of his output came from his manic episodes, where heightened emotions would likely have dictated the intensity of his music. To think these evocative, passionate works come from a time when Robert was struggling against mental illness plays well into the counterpoint theming of the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three Romances<\/em> takes a step back to observe Clara\u2019s life: needing to juggle “the pressures of a solo career and motherhood” according to NACO, her music develops a subtlety, softness, and emphasis on the piano. It\u2019s a sweet contrast to Robert\u2019s works that outlines the vast range of their individual experiences, despite how entwined their music and personal struggles became.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brahms\u2019s fourth symphony acts as both the mid-point of the album and the middle ground between the two Schumanns\u2019s styles. In the first movement, the prominent flutes combined with the light staccato violin notes give the work a playful gait, while the multitude of crescendos and the impactful drums and bass suddenly switch the tone to be more dramatic. Where Brahms always longed to be with Clara, he knew their marriage would never be possible, and as a result, the once valiant brass instruments become a lot more subdued in these movements.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of the album\u2019s second half is dedicated to Clara. The piano becomes the anchor of the works, drawing attention to some of the loneliness she experienced because of her marriage.\u00a0 At the age of 19, her father refused to accompany her to France due to her continued relationship with Robert. The Romance in B minor <\/em>was also written after Robert\u2019s death as an offering to Brahms. These works bring down the energy for a nuanced and intimate view of the later parts of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The final composition, by Stewart Goodyear, caps off this reflection. The improvisations on her themes are flowery and, although tense at times, always maintain a certain optimism. Despite the distinction at the time between male composers and “lady composers,” Clara broke through the mould, transforming ideas by musicians like Bach into innovative masterpieces. The incredible flourish at the end of this work says it all: the influence of this troupe of composers, especially when factoring in their interpersonal struggles, is not to be understated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n