Carnaval op. 9

Schumann's Carnaval, op. 9, is today one of the composer's most frequently played compositions for the piano. Modern listeners will hardly be in a position to notice that these extremely virtuosic and highly effective pieces reflect the story of an ultimately abandoned love affair while intimating the rebirth of a new and yet earlier one. The fact that the entire cycle is linked to figures from the commedia dell'arte (they are briefly explained in the comments at the end of our volume as in aid to understanding) only serves to cloud further the deeper connections.