Many listeners may be surprised upon reading the confident "
Robert & Clara Schumann: Works for oboe and piano
" title of this 2024 release by oboist
Nicholas Daniel
and pianist
Julius Drake
, not having known that neither Schumann wrote music for oboe. In fact, just one of the works here,
Robert Schumann
's set of
Drei Romanzen, Op. 94
, is a genuine oboe work. First of all, it is a
work that deserves to be known better; its structures are simple ABA units, but within those, he delivers some of his very best melodies. The rest of the music is transcribed by a variety of musicians, including
Daniel
himself. The key point is that the 19th century would not have found anything amiss in what
has done here. True,
acidly turned down a publisher's request to issue alternative forces for the
Drei Romanzen
, but he was later overruled by
Clara
, who had performed them in violin-and-piano versions. The music originated with a violin, horn, clarinet, cello, or voice, and even the three pieces from the
Fünf Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102
, written for cello, makes sense in its higher register.
is a fine lyrical player, and the intimate atmosphere of Potton Hall in Suffolk shows him at his best. A must for oboists, this release showcases some arrangements that haven't been heard for many years. ~ James Manheim