Master’s Recital: Robert Schumann - Op. 70 Adagio and Allegro

Adagio and Allegro Op. 70 Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Transcribed by David Walter
Born in 1810 in Zwickau, Saxony (Germany), Robert Schumann was encouraged to pursue law although his musical talents were expressed very early on in life. Once at Leipzig University, he decided that music was more of his passion and continued his studies in composition. He met his future wife Clara, who was also a composer, and had a short and sad end of his career after his mental condition (psychotic melancholia) continued to spiral downwards along with his physical health. This explains why a lot of his music is very intense, emotional and full of depth. Many of his works showcase Schumann’s mental health struggles, with themes and characterizations of happy, flourishing characters paired with characters that are more subdued and dark in nature.
This piece was written towards the latter half of Schumann’s life in 1849 and was part of his four cycles of smaller character pieces: the Romanzen for oboe and piano; Fantasiestücke for clarinet and piano; the Stücke im Volkston for cello, and this one. It was originally written for French horn and named Romanze and Allegro. This was to exploit the heights and depths of the new valve-horn giving looks of agility and freedom for the instrument. Some people have even claimed that Schumann was demonstrating his craft with two distinct characters: One in the lyrical section as a quiet introspective piece and the other as a more flamboyant and boisterous character.
In this piece you will hear Schumann’s personality as extreme tension and release combined with a bright joyous tune in the second half. The opening begins with a delicate phrase that gets passed from the oboe to piano like a call and response. The first half is very ethereal, and you may even feel outside of time. The second half of this piece goes like a rocket, full of energy and excitement. The piano supports many oboe melodies by driving the piece forward. Towards the middle of all the robust sounds, Schumann leads us back to reminisce the beauty of the opening themes with a short interlude. The piece continues back to the full throttle of excitement and accelerates towards the end.
Even Clara Schumann after premiering this piece wrote in her diary: “The piece is splendid, fresh and passionate, just as I like it! Even Schumann said he had ‘had fun with it!’”