Robert Schumann Thomas Zehetmair & Orchestre de chambre de Paris

• Robert Schumann (1810–1856): Violin Concerto WoO 23 (1853)
• 1I. In kräftigem, nicht zu schnellem Tempo15:24
• 2II. Langsam06:03
• 3III. Lebhaft, doch nicht schnell09:55
• Symphony No. 1 Spring op. 38 (1841)
• 4I. Andante un poco maestoso - Allegro molto vivace11:19
• 5II. Larghetto05:42
• 6III. Scherzo: Molto vivace - Trio I: Molto piu vivace - Trio II05:26
• 7IV. Allegro animato e grazioso08:23
• Phantasy for Violin and Orchestra op. 131 (1853)
• 8Im mäßigen Tempo – Lebhaft15:02
• Total Runtime01:17:14

Info for Robert Schumann

Founded in 1978, the Orchestre de chambre de Paris quickly established its reputation as one of Europe’s leading chamber orchestras. In 2012, Thomas Zehetmair was appointed the orchestra’s principal conductor and artistic advisor and on this recording, made at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in February 2014, does double duty as both soloist and conductor. Zehetmair’s insightful approach to Robert Schumann has already been demonstrated on ECM New Series with the Zehtmair Quartet, whose recording of the Schumann string quartets won prizes including the Gramophone Award as Album of the Year in 2003. Here the Orchestre de chamber de Paris plays the Symphony no. 1 “Spring” (1841) and the Phantasie for Violin and Orchestra and the Violin Concerto (both 1853). The composition of the first symphony drew inspiration from Schubert’s 9th Symphony and from the poetry of Adolf Böttger. The Phantasie and the Violin Concerto had quite different fates. The Phantasie was premiered to huge acclaim after initial performances. The Violin Concerto had to wait more than 80 years for its premiere, and too often since then players have made adjustments to the violin part. Thomas Zehetmair reveals how urgent and convincing the impact of Schuman’s original version can be when the performers enter into its spirit.

Orchestre de chambre de Paris
Thomas Zehetmair, violin, conductor

Recorded February 24-26, 2014 at Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Paris
Mixed by Hannelore Guittet
Engineered Frederic Briant
Produced by Manfred Eicher

Thomas Zehetmair
(born 1961 in Salzburg) is one of the most distinguished violinists of his generation. He has collaborated with all major orchestras and important conductors and plays most of the violin repertoire from the Baroque (in historically informed interpretations) to contemporary composition. He has premiered violin concerti by James Dillon and Hans-Jürgen von Bose and, for ECM New Series, recorded the concerto by Heinz Holliger which was dedicated to him. Zehetmair's account of the complete solo sonatas by Eugène Ysaÿe won great critical acclaim in 2004. In The Guardian Andrew Clements wrote: "Zehetmair's performances of these hugely demanding sonatas are fabulously impressive. This is a perfect example of how a great interpreter can transform musical base metal into something infinitely more precious. Zehetmair's achievement is to unite all conflicting creative currents into a single, surging flood of invention. The playing is so assured, so instinctively musical, that you take everything he plays on trust, believing with him that it is genuinely great music." The violinist's most recent disc on ECM - Bartók's fifth quartet coupled with the fourth quartet by Paul Hindemith, played by the Zehetmair Quartett - was issued in 2007. Zehetmair will perform the complete cycle of Ysaÿe's six sonatas at this year's Salzburger Festspiele on August 28.

Booklet for Robert Schumann