There are compositions with biographical relevance, marking events of outstanding importance in the composer’s life. Robert Schumann’s only finished piano concerto represents a milestone not only in the life of the composer, who had been training to become a pianist until an injury put an end to his dreams, but also in the history of Romantic piano concertos. The performance of the piece requires a musician like Anna Vinnitskaya, who was described by the Washington Post as “a true lioness at the keyboard, devouring the most difficult pages of music with adamantine force” and a virtuosity that is never self-serving. Mahler’s surprisingly serene and humorous symphony is missing the biographical elements, taking the listener on a journey from the music of the night through fairy dance to the most glorious jubilation in C major.

In 1841, Schumann composed a lyrical fantasy for piano and orchestra, which he described as a work that “lies somewhere between a symphony, a concerto and a large sonata.” No publisher showed an interest in this piece, so four years later, urged by his wife, the world-famous pianist Clara Schumann, he added two more movements and completed his Piano Concerto in A minor, which was a huge success already at the premiere. Breaking with tradition, Schumann turned the piano into an organic part of the orchestra instead of showing it off, incurring Liszt’s criticism who once referred to this work as a “concerto without piano”. Schumann has been vindicated though: the brilliant musical dialogues of the opening movement, the emotional extremes of the Intermezzo and the explosive virtuosity of the finale ensured the work a place among the most popular concertos.

Symphony No. 7 is Mahler’s only contribution to the genre that is not commonly associated with a nickname or biographical motif. It is purely instrumental, “abstract” music; a still point between his “Tragic” Symphony and the “Symphony of a Thousand”. The opening melody of the first movement was conceived during a boat ride on a lake, and is played by the tenor horn, which sort of combines the tone of the trumpet, the horn and the saxophone. After the second movement, which the composer compared to Rembrandt's painting The Night Watch, comes the shadowy scherzo, followed by a serenade accompanied by mandolin and guitar. The symphony is concluded by an ecstatic frenzy of drums.