Angela Hewitt - Schumann: Humoreske & Sonata Op 11

Angela Hewitt�s recent Schumann performances in the concert hall were praised for their �urgency, jubilation and introspection� and �power and finesse�. Now for the first time she has recorded two of his greatest piano works for Hyperion. Her clean, thoughtful, incisively musical playing which nevertheless allows a flow of passion to be released is perfectly suited to this music.The Sonata in F sharp minor Op 11 was described by the composer to his beloved Clara Wieck as �a cry from my heart to yours�. From the arresting opening to the bouncing Allegro vivace of the first movement and through to the majestic, orchestral-sounding finale, Clara�s imprints are everywhere in the work and Angela Hewitt traces this influence in her scholarly yet deeply personal booklet notes. Humoreske in B flat major was also written for Clara, and is a study of changing and ambiguous moods, melancholy tempered with tenderness, interspersed with dazzling bravura moments including one of the most difficult passages in all his piano works � a breathtaking emotional tour de force.