These are Schumann‘s Symphonies in the orchestral size that was available to the composer himself for the performances in Leipzig and Düsseldorf. There were fewer strings in the orchestra than is usually the case today. Through this, the sound gains added plasticity and differentiation in the instrumental colours. It thus becomes understandable why contemporaries especially emphasised the skilful and convincing orchestration of these two great cyclic works, chronologically the last two of Schumann‘s symphonies.
