Jan Willem de Vriend starts a new symphonic cycle dedicated to Schumann. This is the first recording with Stavanger Symphony Orchestra both for the conductor and for Challenge Classics.

Jan Willem de Vriend: Working with this orchestra is very special, and I think it has to do with a very old tradition. A long time ago, they invited my colleague, Frans Bruggen, just as he was starting to conduct. He learned the orchestra about the old music style, the way of playing in the time of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach--how they played and how you must approach the music. On his part, Bruggen put something in the orchestra that I would say is now part of their DNA: the flexibility, the curiosity, and the way to approach the music. It's so special, here in Stavanger. Schumann's music is to me something unique, because what he's writing is so personal; on one hand it is sometimes very emotional, but on the other hand, it's technically perfect. In music, I don't often find those two elements together.