CD Reviews

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Born in Cologne in 1982 and now a pupil of Zakhar Bron, violinist Erik Schumann and his duo partner, Finnish pianist Henri Sigfridsson (eight years older) pull all the stops on this new release, pervading Prokofiev’s music with inexhaustible energy. Their technical brilliance proves them more than adequate in meeting the music’s daunting requirements, particularly in the rapid, kinetic passages. Furthermore, Erik Schumann coaxes a multitude of timbres from his “Jupiter” Stradivarius (placed at his disposal by the Nippon Music Foundation), thus congenially expressing the variety of moods contained in Prokofiev’s music. The D Major Sonata, in particular, is imbued by Schumann and Sigfridsson with typical dance-like traits, thus assuring a direct transition to the ‘encores’ – three extracts from Prokofiev’s operas and ballets, as transcribed by Jascha Heifetz and M. Fichtenholz, and performed here by the duo with aplomb. Produced in collaboration with the classical radio station WDR (Cologne), this CD is not only attractive in terms of repertoire, but remarkably executed as well.

www.klassik-heute.com, August 2008 by Sixtus König

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“[…] This Prokofjew-programme demands a lot from the musicians. In these works, they can already show everything: technical sovereignty for pressing movements, raging courses and breathing cantilenas, wide awake sensibility for a broad range of different spheres of moods. Schumann and Sigfridsson include all these capabilities in their interpretation in a musically coherent way. A highly promising double debut.”

from: “Gewagt, gewonnen” in Fono Forum July 2008 by Norbert Hornig

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Although Prokofiev’s chamber music still continues to be somewhat unjustly ignored, the self-assured Russian master was astoundingly radical in that domain. On his impressive début CD, violinist Erik Schumann (accompanied by Henri Sigfridsson) performs Prokofiev‘s two tragic, powerful sonatas, complemented by three cheerful arrangements.

Johannes Saltzwedel, KulturSPIEGEL 5/2008

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“[…] The desolation, the dark and likewise tragic world of thought in the Sonata no. 1 is impressively developed by the two musicians, already having been outstanding soloists for a longer time. So within a short time, you totally forget that they are still quite young. […] A good recording which makes you think: “You should pay attention to this Schumann.”

from: “Emotionale Einstimmung” in Ensemble 03/2008 by Carsten Dürer