composition: Peer Baierlein
produced by: Steffen Fahl
video: Raphael Zöschinger
Florestan and Eusebius are two imaginary figures created by the composer Robert Schumann, whom he developed during his time as a music critic.
He used them as his voice for different perspectives on the works he reviewed.
Although they were fictional, he considered them part of the "Davidsbundler" – a real and fictional association of artists and art enthusiasts that had been publishing the “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik” (NZfM), founded by Schumann, since 1834.
The "Davidsbundler" are also the namesake of my composition.
It consists of 3 parts:
Schumann often saw Florestan and Eusebius as representations of his own personal mental states.
Those familiar with Schumann’s life story will know who will “triumph” and who will “be defeated.”
In my composition, I incorporate additional musical references to Robert Schumann.
For example, my first Florestan theme comes from the first theme of Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54. However, it is played backwards and mirrored around an axis, transforming the A minor theme into an A major theme (a technique known as "negative harmony").
For the wild Florestan, I also introduce B-flat major as a second key, making the first movement bitonal (A major alongside B-flat major).
My Eusebius, on the other hand, borrows its theme from the third movement of Schumann’s Symphony No. 4, Op. 120, and, of course, the theme of the gentle Eusebius is also based on a major key – but in this case, exclusively A major.
Schumann enthusiasts will recognize other motifs from the first movement of the Piano Concerto and Schumann’s “Eusebius” (Carnaval Op. 9).
