CLASSICAL MUSIC - THE SCHUMANN ENCOUNTER

ROBERT’S RESCUE

Throughout his adult life, Robert Schumann (1810-56) struggled against a fear of mental disintegration. His Symphony No. 2 in C major Op. 61 was written in 1845 while he was recovering from a breakdown. It contains an illustration of how his creative daemons, the heroic, high-spirited ‘Florestan’, and the brooding, poetic ‘Eusebius’, came into conflict in his music, with its combination of power and intimate lyricism. Focusing on the Second Symphony, this film uses a dynamic interaction between rehearsal footage and dramatised sequences to give a penetrating insight into the composer’s complex and fractured genius.

Roger Norrington is renowned for his historically informed approach to music performance. The Schumann Encounter – Robert’s Rescue finds him in Salzburg to rehearse and perform the Symphony No. 2 with the Camerata Academica, one of Europe’s leading chamber orchestras. Snatching some rest before the evening’s concert, he is aware of an argument in progress in the adjoining hotel room. He falls asleep only to awake in another reality, transformed into Master Raro – the mediator between Florestan and Eusebius – who are at odds over the composition of the Second Symphony. Norrington’s rehearsals with the Camerata Academica and his tribulations as Master Raro, are skilfully woven together in this highly original and visually distinguished music film by Andy Sommer, written and edited by Marco Capalbo.

Simon Callow, well known for his roles in features such as Amadeus, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Shakespeare in Love, portrays Florestan and Eusebius.