Schumann was a sensitive tortured genius, a true romantic with an achingly poetic soul. His passions ran deep and famously found a muse in the guise of Clara Wieck, a virtuoso pianist and formidable character. Schumann poured all of his love into his compositions and littered them with secret signs and symbols that were like love letters woven into the fabric of each new piece. 

This episode of my Explore series looks at the sublime trilogy of songs without words that Schumann wrote at the height of one of the happiest periods of his life. 1849 was a bumper year for compositions and the Fantasiestücke for clarinet and piano are some of the most exquisitely crafted character studies of the Romantic period.

Join me as I unlock a few hidden secrets and share some of my own personal discoveries drawn from 30 years of exploration!