Arranging songs to be played on an instrument invariably raises the question of whether the music will still make sense when stripped of the words, especially in the case of a composer like Schumann. Listeners will find their own answers to this question, based on each individual’s preferences. Expressed poetically, Schumann’s intentions are perhaps best captured in a quotation attributed to E.T.A. Hoffmann: “Where language stops, music begins”.

Martin Stegner won a scholarship to the Herbert von Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic. After spending three years as solo viola with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester he moved to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tomoko Takahashi received her first piano lesson at the age of four in her native Japan. After taking her final examination in Tokyo in 1988, Takahashi began studying at the Berlin University of the Arts on a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service, passing her concert examination with distinction in 1995. She has twice won the Arthur Schnabel Competition in Berlin. She now lives and works in Berlin as a freelance pianist. Tomoko Takahashi and Martin Stegner have played together for thirteen years.

Recorded - Dichterliebe: December, 18, 2007; Liederkreis: March 11, 2009 in Berlin.