Ashish Xiangyi Kumar's video: Schumann: Waldszenen Op 82 Hadland Uchida

Schumann’s Waldszenen are often described as a late call-back to his simple early style, which produced works like Kinderszenen and Papillons. In fact, the Op.82 represents some of the most sophisticated piano writing Schumann ever produced. The set displays a level of cyclical integration that goes beyond what Schumann achieved in any of his other collections. This is apparent at the most general level in the overall key structure of the work: it is arch-like, with Bb major occupying the outer pieces (appropriately entitled “Entry” and “Farewell”) as well as the middle movement. The series of 7 inner movements is also symmetrical, beginning and ending with titles involving hunters (“Hunter in Ambush”; “Hunting Song”). And the movements are bound together through plenty of motivic interrelations. The second last measure of Verrufene Stelle (8:36 – note the chromatic lower neighbour G #) is the origin for the rapid arpeggio flourishes in Vogel als Prophet, and the opening motif of Herberge (10:10, m.1) is embedded in Abschied (18:52, m.3). The figuration of Freundliche Landschaft (8:57) is recalled in m.39 of Herberge (11:31), as is the opening 4-note figure of Einsame Blumen (3:15; cf m.19, 10:49). The same 4-note figure also fleetingly appears in Verrufene Stelle in the LH at m.7 (5:53). Most conspicuously both the first and last pieces in this set have similar endings – a descending arpeggio embellished with a G over sustained bass. The craft that goes into each of these pieces is also extraordinary. Take the opening of Eintritt: it begins mid-phrase, as an accompaniment missing its melody; but when the melody arrives, it serves only to close the phrase. The phrase structure here is also remarkable, and Schumann plays some neat tricks. For a start, the opening phrase is an odd 3 and a half bars long. But the return of the opening phrase features something much weirder – the repeat telegraphs the opening phrase too early (the second half of m.8) so that it is repeated when you jump back to the opening, as if there has been a memory lapse or the printer slid the plates into the wrong position. In Jäger auf der Lauer you have an ABA structure where the return of A is compressed to a mere 4 bars (2:38), after which there comes a dramatic and lengthy coda which aggressively develops material already introduced. Einsame Blumen features some delicate counterpoint and some wonderfully expressive dissonances (3:31) woven into a concise rondo form. Verrufene Stelle and Herberge contain a wealth of disparate musical material that requires careful treatment to integrate, while Freundliche Landschaft’s quick triplets imply more counterpoint than you’d expect. Vogel als Prophet contains some truly striking impressionistic writing (all that dwelling on chromatic neighbour tones – this is not Messiaen, but this bird is nonetheless exotically dissonant) and craggy phrasing, while Jagdlied’s middle section features some playful syncopation. Much like Eintritt, Abschied closes with a long coda that contains much beautiful new material (more symmetry here between the opening and closing movements) Hadland’s playing leans toward the unconventional, but – not to put too fine a point on it – it produces the best recording of this set I’ve come across. The tone is consistently beautiful, the legato silken (see especially Einsame Blumen), and the melodic lines are shaped and carried perfectly. The control of colour and dynamics is also stunning – the whole of Jäger auf der Lauer is a study in touch (see the semi-detached (!) legato at 1:52 and similar, the crescendo at 2:08, how the tone magically shifts from loud to barely audible at 2:17, and the voicing at 2:52). While Hadland seems to always have an eye on what’s happening 4 bars downstream, Uchida dwells a lot more in the moment, with a more intimate, detail-oriented approach to the set. She has an especial gift for integrating Schumann’s shifting textures (see Herberge and Verrufene Stelle), and is one of the few pianists who observe Schumann’s very precise instructions re articulation: in the opening of Eintritt, for instance, the staccato-legato pattern of the RH chords can actually be heard. Hadland: 00:00 – 1. Eintritt (Entry) 01:50 – 2. Jäger auf der Lauer (Hunters on the Lookout) 03:15 – 3. Einsame Blumen (Lonely Flowers) 05:15 – 4. Verrufene Stelle (Haunted Place) 08:57 – 5. Freundliche Landschaft (Friendly Landscape) 10:11 – 6. Herberge (Wayside Inn) 12:23 – 7. Vogel als Prophet (Bird as Prophet) 16:00 – 8. Jagdlied (Hunting Song) 18:43 – 9. Abschied (Farewell) Uchida: 22:38 – 1. Eintritt (Entry) 25:04 – 2. Jäger auf der Lauer (Hunters on the Lookout) 26:26 – 3. Einsame Blumen (Lonely Flowers) 29:06 – 4. Verrufene Stelle (Haunted Place) 33:01 – 5. Freundliche Landschaft (Friendly Landscape) 34:03 – 6. Herberge (Wayside Inn) 36:07 – 7. Vogel als Prophet (Bird as Prophet) 39:45 – 8. Jagdlied (Hunting Song) 42:42 – 9. Abschied (Farewell)