June 8, 2010 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of robert Schumann, one of the most important romantic composers of the 19th century. To celebrate his vast and impressive output, Deutsche Grammophon and Decca have compiled this 35-CD box set of his most important masterworks. Though this is not a complete edition, it includes every major work and a number of rarities covering every aspect of Schumann’s output.

In 1997, Roel Dieltiens gathered a group of internationally respected musicians with whom he worked on a scrupulous, in-depth, and fresh interpretation of lesser-known 19th-century repertoires: Ensemble Explorations. One of the ensemble's motivational forces has been to elude a musical approach determined by force of habit. In order to achieve their goal, the ensemble has sought to (re)discover and systematically investigate score materials, composers, and style periods. Within this philosophy, the use of period instruments has always been an obvious and natural choice. In the past decade, the ensemble has managed to restore important composers to their authentic environment, devoid of all dreary conventions.