The Kreisleriana, for which Schumann was inspired by the whimsical character of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Kapellmeister Kreisler and which also depicts himself and his Clara, opens this program by pianist Jimin Oh-Havenith at audite. She contrasts Schumann’s Opus 16 between virtuosic playfulness and the utmost tenderness in its two-pronged approach. However, the interpreter does not make a psychoanalytical study out of it; she exaggerates the drama just as little as the poetry. Thus, the core of the composition remains intact.

In the Humoreske, Jimin Oh-Havenith portrays the changing moods of this work by the young Schumann in detail. She convinces with poetic, but at the same time spontaneous playing, which makes clear a natural relationship to Schumann’s music. With a fine touch, clever phrasing, and a great deal of sensitivity, she approaches this multi-layered music, which is not only explored in all its complexity, but also brilliantly and excitingly played in rich contrast.

The melodic tenderness is never obscured by melancholy, the dramatic power of the faster passages never destroys the moving atmosphere created by the slower parts. Perhaps it is precisely this good mixture of austerity and poetry that gives this interpretation such a convincing character (Remy Franck | pizzicato| 3.11.2023).