Robert Schumann wrote, “I am affected by everything extraordinary that goes on in the world and think it over in my own way,” confessing his role as the arch Romantic of the 19th Century. Schumann’s music is a diary of his confessional soul: rapt, poetic, joyous and deeply felt, no more so than in his Second Symphony. Schumann was also a mentor to Johannes Brahms, calling the young man a genius. He was right. Brahms’ Haydn Variations are a beautifully orchestrated nod to Joseph Haydn, another mentor. Completing the musical “connections” is Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto featuring the WSO’s principal bassoonist Alex Eastley.