The first movement is in sonata form, followed by a quick Scherzo and a melodious Adagio. The symphony has a traditional four movement structure. The premiere, with Mendelssohn as conductor, took place at the Leipzig Gewandhaus on 5 November 1846. From the initial sketches of September 1845 to the completion of the work in November 1846, the composer laboured for more than a year. That Schumann found work on this symphony very difficult is clear from the fact that it took a long time. Schumann's interest in Bach's polyphony is evident when one listens to the second symphony. He began to study the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, which had lain forgotten until just a few years before, when Mendelssohn had begun to perform it in Leipzig. In 1844, the couple moved to the conservative city of Dresden, where Schumann was able to live a largely anonymous existence. His hopes of being employed at the Leipzig Gewandhaus came to nothing. While his wife's fame as a pianist grew - and she provided the family's income - Schumann was plagued by mysterious illnesses and psychological problems. The years before had been overshadowed by a creative crisis. If one looks at the notes made by both composer and his wife Clara at this time, it is clear he felt a sense of liberation when he finished it. Schumann's C major symphony is regarded as the most ambitious of his four symphonies. In his sketches the movements are called 'Beginning of Spring', 'Evening', 'Happy Games' and 'Height of Spring'. This association was part of Schumann's original idea. This lightness certainly seems to have contributed to the fact that the work has become known as the 'Spring Symphony'. Instead of developing the themes in the central section, he introduces a series of free and playful variations. But in fact Schumann's individual style is evident, especially in the first movement. The first movement - in sonata form - is followed by a slow Larghetto, a lively Scherzo and a finale which is also in sonata form. In this symphonic debut, Schumann does not seem - at first glance - to try anything new. The reaction in the Leipzig press was positive: the newspapers reported that the work had been received 'with great applause'. Mendelssohn accepted the score, with some corrections, and conducted the premiere on 31 March 1841. He was also helped by his friend Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, who was then not only one of the most highly-regarded composers in Europe, but also head of the most important musical institution in Germany: the Leipzig Gewandhaus. She encouraged him - perhaps one should say she pressured him - to finally compose something for orchestra. His wife Clara was both a successful pianist and an ambitious woman. A few months earlier, in September 1840, he had married. He was assisted by two particular circumstances. As a pianist, Schumann had little experience in this area, nor had he received the appropriate training. But in order to be able to make a living from composing he needed to achieve success in what was then regarded as the epitome of the composer's art: the symphony. He was already a successful composer of chamber music, including piano music and lieder. The composer was under a lot of pressure at that time. Robert Schumann composed his first symphony in January 1841 in Leipzig, sketching it out in just four days.
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