Sol Gabetta

»Perfectly suited to the character of the cello« – thus Clara Schumann’s verdict on her husband Robert’s Cello Concerto, which he completed in the space of only two weeks: in his new Düsseldorf home he was filled with new energy, so that the music literally flowed from his pen. Too bad that the cellist scheduled to give the first performance didn’t share Clara’s opinion: he demanded more virtuosity in the third movement, and when Schumann refused to make the changes he had requested, he went into a huff and withdrew from the concert. These difficulties notwithstanding, the concerto is a milestone of music history – tailor-made, one might say, for the sensitive hands of talented cellist Sol Gabetta. In her company, the Basle Chamber Orchestra sets out on a »Schumann Expedition« to explore the late work of this Romantic composer, who died prematurely at the age of 37.