Schumann: Violin Concerto, Symphony No. 1 & Phantasie

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 Zehetmair Quartet, whose recording of two Schumann string quartets won prizes including the Gramophone Award as Album of the Year in 2003. The composition of the Symphony no. 1 “Spring” (1841) drew inspiration from Schubert’s 9th Symphony and from the poetry of Adolf Böttger. The Phantasie and the Violin Concerto (both 1853) 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.