Schumann Fantasy in C op.17

[thierry13]

What a wonder... my teacher made a depression playing it when she was at university. Just to say how much emotional this piece can be, if you really get in it. My teacher says that she want me to play it, but not now. She doesn't want me to have a depression like her. It asks a great maturity to play it at his best.

[wintervind]

I am assuming you mean the piece made her depressed and she is worried that it will make you depressed as well?
This piece is incredibly emotional and the difficulity lies in keeping it so, which is what makes it so difficult, and of course the technical aspects as well.
I am not really sure what your question is but because you posted about one of my favorite pieces ( and composers) i felt the need to reply.
It is a musically intense piece and i can only listen to it if I am in a mentally stable mood or else I will burst out crying! (no joke)
The same goes for the second movement of Schumann's Quartet in Eb

Play it, but be aware of the concequences!

By the way, are you french?

[thierry13]

Yes I'm french. And it wasn't a question, more of a discussion on this amazing piece 

[wintervind]

Sorry, just curious! (about the french thing)
I don't know what else to say about the Fantasie except it is one of my favorites

[trix]

Schumann is one of those composers who can really push me over the edge, even if I'm not on precarious ground.  There are times, even long periods of time, that I cannot play, listen to, or even mentally hear, certain Schumann works because the effects are so overwhelming.  For me I think it has to do with the powerful associations of time long past  when I first heard and/or worked on the pieces, and that time became frozen in the music and, depending on my life situation, the juxtaposition of the present on the evocation of the past is just too much.  It's not just Schumann, but for some reason it seems Schumann's works are significantly represented in this reaction, prolly cause he's one of my most favorite composers and I spent alot of time studying, playing and listening to his works; time that became absorbed by and, ultimately, part of those works. 

I certainly understand your teacher's reaction to the Fantasy but that will not necessarily be your own, and, to contrast, you may  find yourself so affected by a piece that does not affect her similarly.  If you love the piece and want to play it by all means do so and if it becomes a painful experience just stop.

All of the Fantasy is pretty emotionally profound but the minor section can be  lethal.  I've experienced this pretty intensely from the Kriesleriana; the Symphonic Etudes; the Arabeske; all of the sonatas (but especially the 1st mvts. of 1 and 2 and all of 3-the third mvt. of three is agonizing) and various of his shorter works too.

Schumann in the minor is glorious agony.

[wintervind]

Schumann in the minor is glorious agony.

And this is SO true

[xaos]

Is this the one called "The Wanderer"? If so, that is one of my favorite piano pieces.

[thierry13]

Is this the one called "The Wanderer"? If so, that is one of my favorite piano pieces.

OMG! The wanderer fantasy is a Schubert work  This is even not close in style to this Schumann fantasy !! Shame on you !! (kidding) 

[Skeptopotamus]

Wow, I'm just not feeling what you are thierry.

[xaos]

Hehehe woooooops...I guess I see the "Sch" and think Schubert. I thought it was in a sharp key anyway...

[Waldszenen]

Both the Schubert and Schumann are Fantasies in C, so it's easy to get them mixed up.


The Fantasy in C is one of the greatest piano works ever, in my opinion.... if you're going to learn it, learn it well.