Coupling
Robert Schumann's well-known Symphonic Etudes with his nearly unknown
Beethoven etudes, this disc by
Ragna Schirmer will be a feast for dedicated fans of the Romantic composer. Not only does the young German pianist perform the 13 standard movements from the Symphonic Etudes, she interpolates the six movements the composer deleted prior to publication -- and the result is a richer and fuller picture of the work. Even better, she performs all 16 of the rarely performed or recorded etudes on the theme of the Allegretto from
Beethoven's Seventh Symphony -- and the result is a revelation of the depth of
Schumann's
Beethoven worship. Although
Schumann declined to publish the latter work and thus it never achieved a definitive ordering,
Schirmer groups the 15 movements into three coherent formal arches prefaced by the famous theme -- and unites them in an utterly compelling performance.
Schirmer's sweeping performance of the complete Symphonic Etudes is likewise completely convincing in its passionate intensity and incandescent virtuosity. While there are recorded performances of the Symphonic Etudes that match and sometimes surpass
Schirmer's, her performance of the
Beethoven etudes surely matches and surpasses the handful of earlier recordings. Berlin Classics' 2006 digital sound is warm and open.