Clara Schumann’s Soirées musicales (1836) form a richly varied cycle that reveals the full breadth of her imagination at the age of seventeen. The set opens with a dazzling Toccatina and closes with a commanding Polonaise, framing a sequence of contrasting moods and forms. Among them are two Mazurkas, a lyrical Notturno, and a darkly expressive Ballade—arguably her most ambitious work to date, blending drama and polyphonic complexity with Romantic pathos.
Praised by Robert Schumann for its “wealth of unconventional ideas,” this six-piece cycle invites comparisons with the fantasy works of Chopin and Mendelssohn, yet remains unmistakably personal. Clara’s refined textures, harmonic freedom, and instinct for narrative cohesion make this more than a salon suite: Soirées musicales is a portrait of the young composer at her most inventive and emotionally articulate.
Quick Overview
- Composer: Clara Schumann (1819–1896)
- Edition: Urtext (FE012)
- Pages: 32 (27 + V) pages.
- Difficulty: Level 8 / 10
- Editor: Martijn Vromans
- Paper: A4, 120 gsm cream (Clairefontaine)
- Binding: Black steel wire binding
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