(2025) Schumann: Works for Piano & Orchestra

2025-01-29T09:39:45+01:00

Prize Winner Sommets musicaux de Gstaad 2024

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A Year with Robert Schumann

Although Arthur Hinnewinkel has chosen Robert Schumann, one of the most tormented composers in history, as the sole emblem of his first recording, he nonetheless radiates serenity and simplicity. His artistic commitment is bathed in a form of obviousness, the logical outcome of a career he has never planned in terms of objectives. Instead, he has followed the rhythm of his passion alone, of an eagerness to play and share, which cannot be decided at the snap of a finger but is patiently built in the slow pace of daily practice and childhood transformations. Arthur Hinnewinkel was born into a family where music was omnipresent; his father was a classical and jazz guitarist who took his family to a succession of more or less exotic spots: the United States, Switzerland, the Pays de Gex... He was around six when he experienced his first thrills on the keyboard in Singapore. He remembers six particularly intense months in a Russian teacher’s class he attended just before the family left Asia to settle in the Paris suburbs: “I must have been ten years old, and her teaching was based on practising very challenging works, to help me progress more rapidly.”

In Paris, Arthur Hinnewinkel went from one conservatory to another: Rueil with Chantal Riou, Conservatoire régional de Paris with Anne-Lise Gastaldi, then the Conservatoire national supérieur de Paris. These five years in the class of Hortense Cartier-Bresson and Fernando Rossano definitively shifted his focus towards music. “Those years at the CNSM were those of my first appearances on the concert stage and the building of a close group of friends, with whom I still enjoy performing at festivals today”. After taking full advantage of Hortense Cartier- Bresson’s teaching – “her exacting musical standards, her approach of the contrasting languages among composers” – the pianist chose to go “back to the roots”. He believes – and rightly so! – that Anne-Lise Gastaldi had not yet given him everything and that her approach would complement the teaching of his professors in the upper classes. Between 2021 and 2024, Arthur Hinnewinkel prepared himself for several competitions under Gastaldi’s guidance, which led him, in particular, to the final stage of the Clara Haskil Competition in Vevey in September 2023. In the chamber music round, he shared the stage with cellist Marc Coppey, a musician with whom he had already enjoyed playing. That’s why he had no hesitation in choosing Marc Coppey as the conductor for his first recording when he was awarded the 2024 Thierry Scherz Prize at the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, with a bonus orchestral recording. “The mutual trust, the very close musical understanding that unites us, the same desire to share and express made him the ideal conductor for this album.” The recording took place in Warsaw in September 2024. It coincided with the start of Hinnewinkel’s residency at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth in Belgium, “an exceptional place of study surrounded by deer and does, where the emphasis is set on preparation for concerts.”

This Schumann album is Arthur Hinnewinkel’s outcome of a year’s companionship with the Zwickau-born composer in whom, he believes, “one can recognise oneself at all ages of life, so multifaceted is his work, stretched between the love of childhood, poetic desire, the art of counterpoint and tormented romanticism”. A keen reader, the pianist went into isolation for six months and immersed himself passionately in the works of Jean Paul – a bedside reading companion for the young Schumann, who had long fancied himself a poet! – but also E. T. A. Hoffmann and his Kreisleriana, Ondine by Friedrich de La Motte-Fouqué, and, above all, the unfinished novel Heinrich von Ofterdingen by Novalis – the archetypal German Romantic poet in whom Hinnewinkel sees the shadow of Schumann everywhere – “this voyage of initiation, this exploration of dreams, of the subconscious”. Once the stage was set, it was time to define the programme. While the Concerto in A minor stands out as the album’s centrepiece, there are few possible pairings if one wishes to remain with Schumann and the orchestra. The first of these works is one of Arthur Hinnewinkel’s favourites: “The orchestral solo sequences in the Konzertstück op. 92 have always made me dream. Enveloping the song of the most beautiful instruments in arpeggiated chords, soaking up the harmony in slow phrases, isn’t that total bliss?” As for the Introduction and Allegro op. 134, Schumann’s penultimate work, the pianist was attracted by its challenging character: “This skillful, not merely virtuoso writing, this unbelievably rich polyphony, all these cadenzas, including the almost unplayable finale, this nearly mystical dimension that hangs over the Introduction and this almost painful D minor key – everything contributes in making this gift presented to the young Brahms a total challenge.” [Read more in the booklet]

Antonin Scherrer
(Translation : Michelle Bulloch – Musitext)

Marc Coppey

Marc Coppey attracted the attention of the musical world when, at the age of 18, he won the two highest prizes in the Leipzig Bach Competition - the First Prize and the Special Prize for the best Bach interpretation.

He made his debut in Moscow and then in Paris in the Tchaikovsky Trio with Yehudi Menuhin and Victoria Postnikova, in a concert filmed by Bruno Monsaingeon. Rostropovich invited him to the Evian Festival, and from then on his international solo career unfolded with the greatest orchestras, conducted by Eliahu Inbal, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Yan-Pascal Tortelier, Emmanuel Krivine and Alan Gilbert, Christian Arming, Lionel Bringuier, Alain Altinoglu, Michel Plasson, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Theodor Guschlbauer, John Nelson, Raymond Leppard, Erich Bergel, Philippe Entremont, Pascal Rophé, Philippe Bender, Paul McCreesh, Yutaka Sado, Kirill Karabits and Asher Fisch.

A keen chamber musician, he explores the repertoire with Maria-João Pires, Stephen Kovacevich, Nicholas Angelich, François-Frédéric Guy, Nelson Goerner, Victoria Mullova, Liana Gourdjia, Valeriy Sokolov, Ilya Gringolts, Lawrence Power, Janos Starker, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Michel Portal, Emmanuel Pahud and the Tokyo, Takacs, Prazak, Ebène and Talich Quartets. He was also cellist with the Ysaÿe Quartet for five years.

Marc Coppey‘s repertoire illustrates his great curiosity: while he frequently performs the complete Bach Suites and the great concerto repertoire, he also introduces a number of rarer works. He gives first performances of works by Auerbach, Bertrand, Christian, Durieux, Fedele, Fénelon, Hurel, Jarrell, Krawczyk, Lenot (concerto), Leroux, Mantovani, Monnet (concerto), Pauset, Pécou, Reverdy, Tanguy (1st concerto) and Verrières, and gives the French premiere of concertos by Carter, Mantovani and Tüür.

As a conductor, Marc Coppey works regularly with the Deutsche Kammerakademie and the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, as well as with the Zagreb Soloists, of which he was Musical Director.

Marc Coppey has recorded works by Beethoven, Debussy, Emmanuel, Fauré, Grieg and Strauss for the Auvidis, Decca, Harmonia Mundi and K617 labels. Marc Coppey reconciles his career as a soloist with a concern for teaching: he is a professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and gives masterclasses all over the world. He is artistic director of the ‘Musicales’ festival in Colmar, and since 2011 has been musical director of the Solistes de Zagreb orchestra.

Born in Strasbourg, Marc Coppey studied at the Conservatoire of his home town, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and Indiana University, Bloomington (USA).

He plays a cello by Matteo Goffriller (Venice 1711).

Sinfonia Varsovia

Sinfonia Varsovia has been an ambassador of Polish musical culture since its inception. For over 40 years, the Orchestra has been a regular guest on foreign and domestic stages. Its foreign travels include thousands of meetings with conductors, composers, soloists, and finally – audiences.

The ensemble continues the tradition of Jerzy Maksymiuk’s Polish Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1972, from which it emerged as a result of its enlargement. The impulse to expand the ensemble was provided in 1984 by the arrival of the legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who soon took over as the first guest conductor at the invitation of directors Franciszek Wybrańczyk and Waldemar Dąbrowski. “Working with no other orchestra gave me as much satisfaction as my work, as soloist and conductor, with the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra” – he said in interviews.

Over the years, Sinfonia Varsovia has played more than 4,000 concerts, performing in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls under conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Emmanuel Krivine, Witold Lutosławski, Lorin Maazel, Jerzy Maksymiuk and Krzysztof Penderecki (who in 1997 became the music director, and in June 2003 the artistic director of the ensemble), and alongside such soloists as Piotr Anderszewski, Martha Argerich, Alfred Brendel, Gidon Kremer, Nikolai Lugansky, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maria João Pires and Mstislav Rostropovich.

Sinfonia Varsovia has made more than 300 records, including for Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, Sony, and Warner. The recorded repertoire includes works from the 18th century to the present day. A special place in the Orchestra’s concert program is occupied by the works of Polish composers; it has premiered numerous works by composers such as Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Paweł Mykietyn and Krzysztof Penderecki.

Sinfonia Varsovia has initiated a competition for the architectural design of a music center with the largest concert hall in Poland. The investment is being made with financial support of the Capital City of Warsaw.

Since 2004, the director’s duties have been performed by Janusz Marynowski.

www.sinfoniavarsovia.org

Other SMG Prizes

2002 Liviu Prunaru violon
2003 Herman Wallén baryton
2005 Emmanuel Ceysson harpe
2006 Joseph Moog piano
2007 Alexandra Soumm violon
2008 Nicolas Altstaedt violoncelle
2009 Berolina Piano Trio
2011 Sophie Pacini piano
2012 Soo-Hyun Park violon
2013 Pablo Ferrández violoncelle
2014 Bizjak Piano Duo
2015 Anaïs Gaudemard harpe
2016 Guillaume Bellom piano
2016 Kevin Jansson piano
2017 Caroline Goulding violon
2018 Anastasia Kobekina violoncelle
2019 Timothy Ridout alto
2020 Jean-Paul Gasparian piano
2022 Anna Agafia violin
2023 Tim Posner Cello

sommetsmusicaux.ch

REVIEWS

Crescendo Magazine

"[..] Cet album Schumann bénéficie des qualités de la Sinfonia Varsovia, menée par Marc Coppey, un choix d’Arthur Hinnewinkel, qui a collaboré à plusieurs reprises sur scène avec ce violoncelliste réputé. Voici en tout cas une belle carte de visite pour ce soliste, dont on suivra la carrière avec attention." - Jean Lacroix, avril 2025

Le Monde

"[..] Si le programme débute avec deux pièces relativement peu connues [..], c’est avec le magistral Concerto pour piano op. 54, que le musicien relève le défi d’apporter son obole au pied d’une œuvre dont les versions historiques sont légion. Outre une virtuosité solaire mais sans esbroufe, le soliste (Arthur Hinnewinkel) y déploie une grande maturité, d’indéniables qualités poétiques, ainsi que beaucoup de raffinement et d’élégance. Passé de l’archet à la baguette, le violoncelliste Marc Coppey, à la tête du Sinfonia Varsovia, lui offre un compagnonnage de choix." Marie-Aude Roux, avril 2025

Revue Musical de Suisse Romande

"[..] Lauréat du prix des Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, qui offre la possibilité d’enregistrer un CD avec orchestre produit par Claves Records, le jeune pianiste franco-étasunien Arthur Hinnewinkel rend parfaitement justice à ces deux œuvres, aussi bien dans les passages brillants et passionnés que dans les moments tendres ou en demi-teinte. On retrouve ces qualités de clair-obscur dans sa version presque chambriste du Concerto en la mineur où, plus Eusebius que Florestan, il sait au besoin s’effacer pour mieux dialoguer avec l’orchestre, qui l’accompagne idéalement sous la baguette inspirée et attentive de Marc Coppey." - Laurent Mettraux, mai 2025

Classic Voice

"[..] Se i primi due titoli sono relativamente meno noti, il Concerto senza dubbio espone l’interprete a maggiori raffronti data la popolarità e la quantità di incisioni in circolazione. Non c’è dubbio, però, che Hinnewinkel ne esca a schiena dritta dimostrando, nonostante la giovane età e l’essere al debutto, una spiccata sensibilità nel maneggiare le caleidoscopiche pagine schumanniane nelle quali si fatica sempre a trovare il giusto equilibrio tra Florestano ed Eusebio, tra drammaticità e cantabilità, tra baratro e vetta, tra ragione e follia." - Mattia Rossi, ottobre 2025

Diapason Magazine

« Le jeu à la fois limpide et très détaché d’Arthur Hinnewinkel ne cherche guère à convoquer les silhouettes du romantique béat ou du poète au-dessus de la mêlée. Si fantôme il y a, ce serait plutôt celui de Glenn Gould. Les éruptions de l’Allegro s’atténuent pour faire entendre ici, un écho de l’Arabesque, là une réminiscence des Scènes d’enfants : l’amour pour Clara est partout dans cette lecture très fine de trait. [..] Cette superbe page d’amour se prolonge dans le finale où la plastique du toucher, la pâte brillante, la sûreté du jeune pianiste dans la conduite de la phrase auront leurs farouches admirateurs. [..] » - Marc Lesage, Décembre 2025