Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 marked a new way of working for the composer. As a young composer, Schumann was a gifted improviser on the piano, which informed much of his earlier work, and he often awaited visits from the muse to spark periods of composition. However, beginning in 1845, Schumann immersed himself in hours of contrapuntal study which resulted in a different method of composition for the composer. Hear the results in his Symphony No. 2, our Evening Masterwork tonight at 7 on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9.