Masterclass: Schumann Fairy-tale Pictures op.113, third and fourth movements

The third and fourth movements of Schumann’s Fairy-Tale Pictures illustrate the composer’s alter egos, Florestan and Eusebius, which represent emotional extremes. I see the third movement as representing Florestan, with the viola’s triplets providing a wild, passionate whirlwind. The music is stormy and bold, with big accents and a swift tempo. In contrast, the fourth movement is more like Eusebius: tender, nostalgic and dreamy. Its lullaby-like quality creates the feeling of being gently eased to sleep. To play these movements, along with the previous two, you have to have a good command of these contrasting characters and the technique required to achieve them. This built-in variety is why the piece works so well when curating programmes – each movement has a very clearly defined character…