Sentimental Work: Violinist Aleksey Igudesman on Schumann’s Piano Quartet

For me, the slow movement of Schumann’s Piano Quartet op.47 is one of the most stunningly gorgeous pieces in classical music. It has a deeply melancholic quality that is mind-bogglingly beautiful and its harmonic structure gives it a deep emotional resonance. The interplay of the major and minor keys, to me, gives it a feeling of hope–despair–hope–despair, which makes it one of the most inherently sentimental pieces, in my opinion…