Two of Robert Schumann’s most important early piano works, the Fantasy in C major, opus 17 and the Symphonic Etudes, opus 13, are performed on this new two-channel SACD by one of the most outstanding soloists of recent years, the Russian virtuoso Sergei Edelmann. The disc also includes the delightful Arabesque, opus 18.

Born in Lvov, Ukraine in 1960, Sergei Edelmann was taught to play by his father, Alexander Edelmann, a renowned pianist and teacher who had links to Vladimir Horowitz and Sviatoslav Richter. In his native country, Sergei’s first orchestral performance was at the age of 10 playing Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto. He has subsequently performed extensively in recitals and with orchestras throughout the old USSR. His BMG Classics/RCA Red Seal CDs include both Mendelssohn Concertos and the Strauss Burlesque, and his series of solo recordings of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, and Prokofiev have gathered enthusiastic critical acclaim.

Nearly all of the works that Robert Schumann composed up to the time of his marriage to Clara Weick, including his first 23 publications with opus numbers, were written for solo piano. The two main pieces on this album come from this period. Schumann’s opus 17, the Fantasy in C major, was published in 1839 and dedicated to Franz Liszt. The Symphonic Etudes of 1834 are a theme and 16 variations based on an original idea by Baron von Fricken. He also added in an extra variation on a theme written by Heinrich Marschner.