Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Three Romances, Op. 94, (1849) arrangement for Harp and Clarinet
Schumann was the quintessential romantic, not in the simple notion of a lover, but in the deeper and broader notion of a visionary storyteller where character, setting, mood and developmental drama create seemingly living fairytales out of sound. Growing up with a father who was a writer and the owner of bookstore, Schumann absorbed literature as much as music and this would deeply influence his teeming imagination and his prodigious musical output. While Schumann would eventually conquer the large formal abstractions of the symphony and the string quartet among others, he was perhaps most original with vivid miniatures: art songs, solo piano works and evocative delights for small ensemble that gave birth to the Romantic "character piece."
Like so many of Schumann's vivid character pieces, The Three Romances, Op. 94 of 1849 have charmed listeners with sonic fairytales whose musical essence transcend even their specific instrumentation. Originally written for violin or oboe and piano, they will undoubtedly work their magic in a fresh arrangement for harp and clarinet. Indeed, charmed with the unique sparkle, texture and intimate poetic sense of the harp, these Romances are apt to become particularly incandescent. The clarinet is likely the most flexibly expressive and "human" of any partner. The two outer Romances begin in a somber, minor key but pursue rich, wordless narratives in and out of a variety of moods. The center Romance is the inverse: starting in the light but shifting midway into a much darker outburst of passion. As with all of Schumann's "songs", there is not a strong separation between voice and accompaniment: while the clarinet sustains the primary melodic role, the harp weaves in and out of the texture significantly interacting as a nearly equal partner.