Departure

Igor Stravinsky shaped twentieth century music, following up his successful ballets with a turn to neoclassicism – the opposite of romantic opulence. His »Symphonies d’instruments à vent« (1920) unleash a concentration of sound and at the same time pay homage to Claude Debussy.

Friedrich Gulda tests the limits: funky grooves, elements of rock and romantic effects blend into the wild mixture that is his cello concerto, recalling big bands one moment and folk music the next.

Robert Schumann also blended music and life, as the River Rhine was the setting for his triumphs and his crises. While Symphony No. 3 was written during a happy period, its shifting atmospheres already hint at inner tension.