Schumann and His World
Yuan Sheng
Overview
Pianist Yuan Sheng, celebrated for his complete Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin projects, dedicated this recital series to the poetic and visionary world of Robert Schumann. For Sheng, Schumann has always been “a secret love, a lifelong companion” — above all the Fantasie in C Major, Op.17. These programs reveal Schumann’s unique voice: deeply personal, at times fragile, always searching, bridging Romantic poetry and psychological depth.
About the Project
More than a Romantic composer, Schumann delved into the human subconscious and gave voice to fleeting inner visions. His music, filled with sudden contrasts and hidden voices, transcends categories of “style” or “era.” Yuan Sheng interprets this repertoire with clarity of tone, structural balance, and Romantic passion — a union of intellect and imagination.
Concert Program (Selected)
- Clara Schumann: Soirées musicales, Op.6 (selections) or
Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op.20 - Robert Schumann: Fantasie in C Major, Op.17
- Johannes Brahms: 3 Intermezzi, Op.117 or
Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op.9 - Robert Schumann: Carnaval, Op.9
Artist’s Reflections
“Schumann has always been my hidden soulmate. Music transcends time, gender, and boundaries; where there is love, there is companionship.”
Yuan Sheng
Recording Highlight
Schumann Piano Masterpieces (2020)
“Dreams are worth having — what if they come true?” — Yuan Sheng
In 2020, Yuan Sheng’s album Schumann Piano Masterpieces was awarded Best Piano Performance Album in the Top Ten Audiophile Recordings of the Year by the Guangdong Musicians Association. Now in its sixteenth edition, this annual list is regarded as one of the most authoritative accolades in China’s recording industry.
The album brings together three of Schumann’s most cherished works: Papillons, Kinderszenen, and the monumental Fantasie in C Major. Through these recordings, Sheng captures Schumann’s unique union of literature and music — the masquerade of Papillons, the poetic vignettes of Kinderszenen, and the overwhelming emotional scope of the Fantasie.
Sheng recalls the process:
“I had first planned to record only Papillons and Kinderszenen. Then I thought, what if I added my beloved Fantasie in C Major and made a full Schumann disc? That bold idea became reality. As I often remind myself: if you never try, it will never happen — but what if it does?”
The album’s cover features a painting by Luo Zheng, an artist whose childlike innocence reflects the very essence of Schumann’s world of imagination and dreams. With this release, Sheng dedicates the recording “to all who still hold on to their dreams, and who may, like me, overhear that small inner voice Schumann once spoke of.”