Returning to Schumann for 2 performances in June, I am again amazed by the rich and dense texture and most imaginative storytelling of the opening page of his concerto. In the 20th century, the concerto was often performed in a very slow tempo, labeling it melancholic, pensive, doubting. If you take the markings halfway seriously though, the tempo of 130 suggests something entirely different. His original tempo marking of 150, which was later corrected to 130 after the cellist he corresponded with (Bockmühl) suggested 92, might be on the fast side, but it should show us the direction of the opening. Some might argue that “Nicht zu Schnell” is the counter argument to the metronome marking, however, if I translate it back to the Italian markings we have grown used to, I would choose an Allegro, ma non troppo over a Moderato assai:
Allegro, ma non troppo = Rasch, aber nicht zu sehr = in more elegant terms: Nicht zu schnell
If you take a look at the orchestral texture, it suggests a determined flow, and, as the syncopations set in, certainly unrest and inner forward motion. Dramatically, it is also wise to keep the more intimate voicing to the next passage.