3 Romanzen

Clara and Robert Schumann were a Romantic-era power couple, and their musical language shared a particular harmonic piquancy and emotional ambiguity. Clara Schumann’s output is notable for her youthful Piano Concerto and the masterly, mature Piano Trio, yet much of her music consists of collections of songs and piano miniatures. Romanze was a title both she and her husband Robert used for such short pieces, and in 1853 she composed two sets, this one for piano and another (Op. 22) for violin and piano. Whether or not there is any imagined narrative behind any of the three Op. 21 Romanzen, the first frames an impetuous central section within a halting “Andante”, while the second is lighter and more whimsical, and the third is an agitated Chopinesque waltz. All three demonstrate the virtuosity and expressivity that made Clara Schumann one of Europe’s leading pianists.