Catalogue

Summary:

“Charles Owen is a fine British pianist and plays with great clarity” – Repp, American Record Guide

“Throughout, there’s a feeling of an inward Schumann, making leaps and bounds forward both musically and imaginatively, and this is true even in the composer’s first published piece, the Variations on the Name Abegg, Op. 1, which in Owen’s hands makes a strong finale. A fresh set of readings that will be valued by Schumann enthusiasts.” ★★★★ –  James Manheim, Allmusic.com 

“Pellucid, unforced sound, fidelity to the most minute details of the score, and uncluttered, objective interpretations … Owen treats [Papillons and Carnaval] as old friends … the two polonaises in Papillons are irresistible … immensely satisfying performances” – Patrick Rucker, Gramophone

“’beautifully voiced … the ferociously difficult Reconnaissance’ is played with delicacy and charm … the softer pieces work beautifully: the Semplice section of No. 7 is magical, the Prestissimo of No. 9 breathlessly breakneck. The Op. 4 Intermezzi … is especially impressive here. The closing Abegg-Variations again include some gorgeously inward, soft playing.”  Natasha Loges, BBC Music Magazine

“a beautifully executed programme … the disc as a whole is really beautifully put together and it’s really lovely, it makes you feel good when you’re listening to it” – Record Review, BBC Radio 3

“magnificently hued, delicately controlled new recording” – Exclusive magazine

PRESTO Classical Recordings of the Year – Finalist 2024
Pianist Magazine cover feature

Presto Music Interview

Gramophone magazine podcast, with James Jolly

The Young Schumann, the new release by British pianist Charles Owen, is a musical narrative of Robert Schumann’s early career, featuring works written in the 1830s when the composer was in his 20s. His first two published works, Abegg Variations and Papillons, the impetuous six Intermezzi, Op. 4, and the characterful Carnaval, Op. 9, are all fuelled by some of Schumann’s compositional hallmarks: his imagination and attraction to the fantastical, his love of ciphers and cryptograms, and his frequent quoting of each work within the others.

Tracklist:

ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810–1856)

Carnaval, Op. 9
1. No. 1 Préambule
2. No. 2 Pierrot
3. No. 3 Arlequin
4. No. 4 Valse noble
5. No. 5 Eusebius
6. No. 6 Florestan
7. No. 7 Coquette
8. No. 8 Réplique
9. No. 9 Papillons
10. No. 10 Lettres dansantes
11. No. 11 Chiarina
12. No. 12 Chopin
13. No. 13 Estrella
14. No. 14 Reconnaissance
15. No. 15 Pantalon et Colombine
16. No. 16 Valse allemande
17. No. 17 Paganini
18. No. 18 Aveu
19. No. 19 Promenade
20. No. 20 Pause
21. No. 21 Marche des Davidsbündler contre les Philistins

Papillons, Op. 2
22. Introduction. Moderato – No.1, Waltz in D Major
23. No. 2 Waltz in E Flat Major. Prestissimo
24. No. 3 Waltz in F Sharp Minor
25. No. 4 Waltz in A Major. Presto
26. No. 5 Polonaise in B Flat Major
27. No. 6 Waltz in D Minor
28. No. 7 Waltz in F Minor. Semplice
29. No. 8 Waltz in C Sharp Minor
30. No. 9 Waltz in B Flat Minor. Prestissimo
31. No. 10 Waltz in C Major. Vivo – Più lento
32. No. 11 Polonaise in D Major
33. No. 12 Finale in D Major

Intermezzi, Op.4
34. I. Allegro quasi maestoso
35. II. Presto a capriccio
36. III. Allegro marcato
37. IV. Allegro semplice
38. V. Allegro moderato
39. VI. Allegro

40. Variations on the name ‘Abegg’, Op. 1

Charles Owen, piano

Recording: 28 March 2023, Menuhin Hall, Cobham, Surrey [40]
16, 17 May 2023 [22–39] & 29 April 2024 [1–21], Syde Manor, Gloucestershire
Recording Producer & Editor: Matthew Bennett
Recording Engineer: Dave Rowell
Piano Technician: Ulrich Gerhartz, Director Concert & Artist Services, Steinway & Sons
Piano Tuner: Colin Crawford | Piano: Steinway Model D