Klarinet Archive - Posting 000067.txt from 1997/03

From: simon aldrich <simona@-----.ORG>
Subj: Schumann Romances
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 1997 00:19:21 -0500

Gary asked "Did Schumann write the 3 Romances (op 94) for A or
Bb clarinet? Or both? Or neither?"

Neither.In 1849, one of the most productive years in his composing
life, Robert Schumann turned his attention to three wind instruments
in chamber music settings. The Drei Fantasiest@-----.73 for clarinet
and piano and the Adagio and Allegro Op.70 for horn and piano were written
within a week of each other in February. In December Schumann composed
the Drei Romanzen Op.94 for oboe and piano and according to his
Haushaltb=FCcher (housekeeping books) gave them to his wife as a Christmas
present as "his hundredth opusculum". The Romanzen received their first
performance two days later in the version for violin and piano. Clara
Schumann performed them privately with the concertmaster of the Royal
Chapel for the Schumann household . The first known public performance
of these works took place in Leipzig in 1863 with the oboist Emilius Lund
and the composer and pianist Carl Reinecke.

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Simon Aldrich

Principal Clarinet - l'Orchestre de l'Opera de Montreal
Principal Clarinet - l'Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal
Nouvel Ensemble Moderne
Quintet Pentaedre

(514) 843-7550
simona@-----.org