Robert Schumann: Violin Concerto/New England Triptych (Naxos Audio CD)

Philippe Quint violin
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Jose Serebrier, conductor


One of the greatest American symphonists, William Schuman established an orchestral sound unmistakably his own.

A master orchestrator, he could turn a simple tune (When Jesus Wept from New England Triptych) into a symphonic statement of universal appeal. His witty and imaginative orchestration of an early organ piece by Charles Ives, Variations on America, is included in this collection in order to emphasize Schuman’s great gifts for orchestral color.

The ink in the score was not yet dry when Schuman attended my performances of it with Stokowski’s American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. I had great fun conducting it then (I programmed it dozens of times at Stokowski’s Teenage Concert series, in the early sixties), and enjoyed it even more recording it for the first time, with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. The Violin Concerto is a powerful work of great drama and intensity that makes great demands on the soloist.

The Russian-born American violinist Philippe Quint, making his recording début, is an ideal choice.