Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze, Papillons & Carnaval

The three works on this recording are collections of short pieces, strung together and forming a cohesive whole – a form which Schumann himself invented, developed and brought to perfection. Davidsbündlertänze (Dances of the League of David) was written after Schumann’s engagement to Clara Wieck, to whom he wrote, ‘If I have ever been happy at the piano, it was when I was composing these.’ Papillons (Butterflies) is the work of a youthful, unfettered imagination, and Carnaval is one of his most popular pieces, a display of both technique and emotion. Boris Giltburg, who took first prize at the 2013 Queen Elisabeth Competition, is one of today’s most thrilling young pianists. This release marks the start of an exciting new collaboration with Naxos. “Once again he shows himself the possessor of a massive and engulfing technique, this time supporting interpretations that glow with warmth and poetic commitment…” Gramophone, October 2013 “His virtuosity is beyond question, but it is what he does with it that makes such a difference. There is emotional power here, together with apt tonal weight, but there is also a sensitive inwardness that reveals subtle expressive facets” Daily Telegraph, October 2013. “For sheer brilliance, Boris Giltburg’s recital of Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Ravel was the outstanding event of the season: this young Russian has remarkable range and a sublimely assured artistry” International Piano, March 2014