Wherein We Elect Our Favourite Classical Compositions of… the 1830s

I ended up voting for 24 Preludes over Symphonie Fantastique, just bc I have already voted for a symphony and not for any solo works.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Thanks for the recording tips by the way. This ended up being Schumann Piano Works Week in this house!

Only 14 votes? :(

I suppose it was to be expected after last week's Beethoven-Schubert bonanza.

Which recording of the Preludes do you goodly people recommend?

I'm a Pollini stan when it comes to Chopin in particular, so… Maurizio Pollini.

He has a fine forehead.

Ivan Moravec for the preludes

Here’s my top 12 Schumann piano albums
Davidsbundlertanze + Carnaval - Rosen (Sony)
Kreisleriana + Kinderszenen - Argerich (DG)
Fantasie + Carnaval - Arrau* (Philips/Decca whatever UMG call it now)
Sonata #1 + Kreisleriana - Perahia (Sony)
Richter DG recital incl Fantasiestucke + Waldszenen (DG)
Humoreske et al - Richter (Melodiya)
Symphonic Etudes + Humoreske - Andrew de Grado (Centaur)
Sonata #2 et al - Bernd Glemser (Naxos)
Fantasie (coupled with Schubert) - Pollini (DG)
Novelettes - Jorg Demus (Nuova Era and other labels)
Davidsbundlertanze + Fantasiestucke - Benjamin Frith (Naxos)
Kinderszenen + Kreisleriana - Horowitz (Sony)

*not sure what the current availability of Arrau’s Schumann recordings is, I’m sure they are in print, but in the Arrau Plays Schumann box set I have, Carnaval and Fantasie are on one disc and are both absolutely crushing

Yes you end up with three Kreislerianas but whattayagonnado people like recording it

These polls are so great - just what I needed in terms of focussing what has been a hideously disparate approach to stuff for so many years. I've always dabbled with him but it turns out I absolutely bloody love Chopin.