Robert Schumann - Symphony 4; Cello Concerto; Fantasy for Violin & Orchestra (Alexander Rudin)

Information

Composer: Robert Schumann

• Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120 (1841 Version)
• Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129
• Fantasy in C Major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 131 (transcr. Alexander Rudin)

Alexander Rudin, cello & conductor

Musica Viva

Date: 2026

Label: Fuga Libera

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This album presents an intimate exploration of Robert Schumann’s musical imagination through three significant works centered on emotional depth and expressive nuance. At its core is the rarely performed original 1841 version of the Fourth Symphony, valued for its transparency and chamber-like clarity in contrast to Schumann’s later revision. The program also includes the Cello Concerto and the Fantasia for Violin, here performed in a sensitive transcription for cello, both composed during Schumann’s final years in Düsseldorf and marked by shifting emotions and lyrical intensity. Led by Alexander Rudin as both conductor and soloist alongside Musica Viva, the recording offers a vivid and deeply human interpretation of Schumann’s fragile yet radiant artistic world.

Alexander Rudin is a Moscow-born cellist, conductor, and educator known for his dual career as a solo performer and orchestral leader. A graduate of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music and later the Moscow Conservatory (where he studied conducting under Dmitry Kitaenko), he won prizes at major international competitions including the Leipzig Bach Competition, the Gaspar Cassadó Competition, and the Tchaikovsky Competition. Rudin serves as artistic director and chief conductor of the Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra and performs globally with leading orchestras and festivals. He also collaborates with contemporary Russian composers, teaches at the Moscow Conservatory, gives international masterclasses, and has served on juries of major competitions, including the Tchaikovsky and Leipzig Bach Competitions.