Romance No 2 Op 94

by Robert Schumann 1810 – 1856

Robert Schumann is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. His life was troubled with manic bouts of depression, and this is quite evident in his works, particularly these three Romances op 94. The Romances were composed in December 1849, in the hopes he would have them ready as a Christmas present for Clara, his wife. They were publicly performed for the first time in 1863 in Leipzig with Emilius Lund, the oboist and Carl Reinecke, the pianist. Schumann was one of the more prolific composers of Romances.

What is a Romance?

The Romance was a popular genre in the nineteenth century Germany. Romances usually appear in groups of two or three with alternating major and minor sections. A Romance’s distinguishing feature is its lyrical quality which is why I have chosen these three Romances 0p 94.

Romance no 2 is my favorite of the three Romances. It is ABA in form. The themed a section is very lyrical and expressive and is one of those musical lines where an interval in the melody can pierce your heart like a dagger with emotion. It requires a lot of control; expression and a player really needs to know what’s important in the phrasing and where they are going musically.

Section B section is quiet dark and very intense in nature, I love playing this section, it digs really deep musically with me. I must change tone quiet dramatically to get what I want musically here.

Return of the A section glides out of the tumultuous B theme into a recapitulation of the opening melody before winding down to a soulful sigh. Just a beautiful ending.

I adore all these Romances they have such depth and much pain musically, it’s an honour to play them.