Jean-Guihen Queyras - Schumann: Cello Concerto, Piano Trio No. 1 (2016)

This final instalment in our trilogy devoted to the complete concertos and trios of Schumann spotlights the cello of Jean-Guihen Queyras. The Cello Concerto, though energetically championed by Clara Schumann, suffered from delays in publication and was not premiered until after the composer s death. Interpreted in the same poetic spirit as its two predecessors, this third volume concludes an adventure that has changed for ever the way we listen to Schumann. 'The idea for this CD project arose during a tour on which we performed Robert Schumann s Trio Op.80. As passionate admirers of the composer, we conceived the desire to place his works for piano, violin and cello in a broader context and to illuminate them mutually in order to allow listeners to gain a deeper understanding of his music. We soon agreed to play the pieces for this recording on a historical piano and stringed instruments with gut strings, using orchestral forces to match. Thanks to this, we expected our playing to be better balanced, better articulated, and more open-minded. Pablo Heras-Casado and the Freiburger Barockorchester sprang spontaneously to mind as the ideal partners for a project of this kind. And indeed they took up our idea enthusiastically and were keen and irreplaceable fellow-conspirators in the world of Schumann. Our shared journey into the magical world of this incomparable composer will remain with us as an exceptionally intense, happy and fulfilling experience.' Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov, Jean-Guihen Queyras