Europe in Turmoil 1848 - 1872

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The shifting balance of power in Europe beginning with the collapse of the monarchies in 1848 had an impact on two of the pieces played in Tim and Stephen’s recital. Sad to say power politics in Europe continues on… music can open the door to hope. Both Schumann and Saint-Saëns in their different ways reflect this.

Schumann - Adagio and Allegro

In 1849 Germany was in turmoil, the revolution against the monarchies that had begun a year earlier spread like wild-fire. The Schumanns, then living in Dresden, were in considerable peril. Republican soldiers came looking for Robert to conscript him into the army. Robert, Clara and their eldest daughter escaped to a sanctuary out of town. Two days later, Clara—six months pregnant—returned to Dresden in the middle of the night, snatched the remaining three children and their maid from their beds and made a dramatic escape. Later on Schumann reflected that he had been busy ‘…it seemed as if the outer storms impelled people to turn inward, and only there did I find a counterforce against the forces breaking in from outside’. As Stephen Isserlis remarks, “…typical of Schumann—one gets the feeling that for him the outer world was always something of a threat; he preferred to live within his dreams.”

Saint-Saëns - Cello Sonata No. 1 in C Minor Op. 32

Two decades on from the Schumann’s frightening experience the balance of power in Europe continued to shift. The first of his two cello sonatas by Saint-Saëns followed hard on the heels of the famous First Cello Concerto, both dating from 1872. The Battle of Sedan (September 1870) had been the decisive turning point of the Franco-Prussian War. And resulted in a crushing French defeat; the capture of the whole of the French army, Emperor Napoleon III himself and ultimately the collapse of the Second French Empire.

This victory was the catalyst for German Unification. The German Empire was proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles—a deliberate act of humiliation against the French. The emergence of a unified Germany under Bismarck shifted the balance of power in Europe, ending centuries of French cultural and military dominance on the continent. In response to the defeat, Saint-Saëns became a fierce French patriot. He co-founded the Société Nationale de Musique in 1871 with the motto "Ars Gallica" (French Art). The goal was to promote French instrumental music and move away from the heavy influence of German masters like Wagner and Liszt.

The First Cello Sonata is uncharacteristically dark, turbulent, and sombre reflecting the "Year of Turmoil" (L'année terrible). The choice of C minor—a key often associated with struggle—and the aggressive, driving rhythms of the first movement mirror the restless anxiety of a post-war Paris. But The piece ends in sunnier climes with the darker mood giving way to an up-beat, well-ordered conclusion, typical of the composer.