Scenes
from Schumann was
composed in haste (after many months of feeble doodling with
some favourites of his Lieder for a handful of players) in
response to a sudden, unexpected deadline. Perhaps
this piece should be the real op. 1 (it was irksome that, when
I began numbering, it came out at thirteen!). My feeling
about this defiant denial of / escape from the imprisoning Zeitgeist
was guilt, doubt, shame, fear; but none of this is audible
for a second in the notes: which also, from the very first rehearsal
onwards, sounded right and good, pleased the (sometimes quizzical)
players and then the (ditto) audience too.