A treasure trove of Schumann

To be able to begin with the speech by the then German President Joachim Gauck, who spoke about Romanticism and the composer couple Clara and Robert Schumann at the Villa Hammerschmidt in Bonn two weeks before the end of his term of office, is a stroke of luck that raises expectations for the other contributions. But then the joy of discovery is dampened: in the Schumann Journal 6/2017, an anthology of 355 pages, contains an obituary for Nikolaus Harnoncourt, two longer interviews "Do you love Schumann?" with András Schiff on the one hand and the young pianist Luisa Imorde on her new CD Zirkustänze (with pieces by Schumann and Jörg Widmann) on the other, as well as reports on conferences, association anniversaries and other Schumann events - albeit consistently bilingual in German and English. At least one learns that Heinz Holliger was honored with the Zwickau Schumann Prize in 2016.

Curiosity is satisfied, however, when new CDs, DVDs, sheet music and books are not only displayed but also discussed on 100 pages. The large number and quality of the illustrations in color, which are excellently presented thanks to the glossy paper, should not be underestimated. The target group is not a "specialist musicological audience, but artists, Schumann lovers and interested laypersons who should be well and competently informed, stimulated and delighted", according to the editorial. The entry "With the support of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media" clarifies who, among others, is supporting the Schumann Network. The complete publications are also freely available at www.schumannjournal.net.

At 445 pages, volume 7/2018 is even more extensive and also more productive, but follows the same concept: an obituary for the poet Peter Härtling, two conversations about Schumann, this time with the pianist Florian Glemser on the one hand and the cellist Guido Schiefen and the pianist Markus Kreul on the other. The focus, however, is on two weighty contributions (170 pages long, again in two languages) on Clara in Copenhagen by Gerd Nauhaus and Robert in Berlin by Theresa Schlegel, who can already announce that "Clara in Berlin" will be covered in 2019. If you don't want to wait for the 50-volume complete edition of Schumann's letters, you can already read some of the Berlin letters here.

Volume 8/2019 is now also available.

Schumann Journal 6/2017 and 7/2018, publications of the Schumann Network, edited by Ingrid Bodsch and Irmgard Knechtges-Obrecht, German/English, Verlag Stadtmuseum Bonn 2017/2018