Breitkopf & Hartel Hermann und Dorothea Op. 136 - Schumann/Riedel - Study Score - Book

Overture to Goethe's "Hermann und Dorothea"

Composer: Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Editor: Christian Rudolf Riedel
Format: Book, Urtext
Version: Study Score

The Overture to Hermann and Dorothea is the only compositional result that Schumann reaped from Goethes epic poem. He had originally planned an entire opera, then a Singspiel, and finally an oratorio. In the end (1851), he quickly produced an orchestral score that remained unprinted during his lifetime. The striking thematic use of the Marseillaise is multiply motivated: Goethes poem unfolds in 1796, when the two eponymous lovers are fleeing from the French revolutionary troops; Schumann had directly experienced the revolutionary uprisings of 1848 in Dresden; finally, Louis Napoleons coup detat of 2 December 1851 must also have made an impact on the composer. The primary source of the Urtext edition of Schumanns Revolutionary Overture is the carefully written autograph.
Duration: 10:00