Schumann

Robert Schumann made hands-down some of the weirdest music of his era. There's always something vaguely quirky about Schumann- raw, restless rambling. Like Schubert and Chopin, Schumann lived a tragically short life. The mental illness which marred his last years did not stop him from continuing to write extraordinarily beautiful music- indeed, quite the opposite, as testified to by the blossoming originality of his last works. 

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The best of Schumann, ordered by accessibility

Schumann's Piano Sonatas are probably the best introduction to his music, all stamped with his characteristic raw, vivid imagination.

Fantasy in C- A passionate, adventurous large-scale work.

Symphonic Etudes- Another ambitious flight of fantasy.

Dawn Songs- One of Schumann's aforementioned late works. I especially treasure the first, a deeply moving chorale.

Ghost Variations- Another late work, featuring a lyrical theme Schumann claimed was dictated by angels (hence the title), but which he had in fact used in previous works.

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