Schumann- Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, op. 97 Part IV
We conclude our discussion of Robert Schumann’s 3rd Symphony with movement IV.
- Lebhaft
- Sehr massig
- Nicht schnell
- Feierlich
- Lebhaft
V. Lebhaft
The last movement begins with a jaunty wind and string theme with hunting horn calls in the background. A syncopated phrase of the theme beginning at 0:16 leads to a series of descents followed by staggered ascents. The brass interject proudly at 0:46, answered by the orchestra. Staccato strings play daintily as the trumpets flutter quietly with a fanfarish motive underneath. A martial-sounding trumpet and timpani (1:04) are soon quieted by more descents and staggered ascents in the strings and winds, this time interwoven with trumpet flourishes and wind runs. More syncopation follows as string figures are answered by the brass and timpani (1:33).
Wind motives dance over quickly buzzing strings (1:45), leading to a crescendo and the high strings taking joining the melodic figures at 1:56. A broad, rolling theme reminiscent of the second movement appears in the brass and low strings at 2:07 and crescendos back into theme one 2:28 in the full orchestra. Phrases two and three follow as played the first time. The brass interjection (3:08) and trumpet/timpani fanfare recur at 3:08 and 3:26, respectively.
Syncopated rhythms (3:54) in the entire orchestra are answered by 3-note ascents in the low strings which sequence upwards before a tutti descending scale in the orchestra (4:08) reveals a triumphant 3-note rising motive in the brass. String runs follow in its wake before a series of tuttis resolve to a boisterous coda (4:37).
Proud brass and string lines almost compete for primacy before a series of fanfare motives (4:59) and a thunderous brass and timpani finale end the symphony.
The Rhenish was the last major orchestral work before his attempted suicide and subsequent institutionalization. One can imagine that the generally uplifting music contained in the symphony was a kind of musical therapy for Schumann, which unfortunately did not last long.
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If you are interested in listening to a recording, I recommend Leonard Bernstein’s 1997 recording with the Vienna Philharmonic on Deutsche Grammophone. You can buy this recording from Amazon by clicking on the image below. Alternatively, you can purchase this recording from the iTunes Music Store often at a reduced price by following the link below.
This article is part of the Music 365 series. To find out more about this project, please visit the project homepage.
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