Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70

In 1849, Schumann turned to a new genre: works for piano and an accompanying instrument. The first works he composed were the Fantasy Pieces for piano and clarinet opus 73, immediately followed by opus 70. Schumann drew his publisher’s attention to the brilliant allegro, whose solo part is so virtuosic that opus 70 is one of the showpieces for horn players even today. Schumann also wrote a part for violoncello. I imagine that most cellists are clamoring to buy the recently released Henle edition of Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro. It’s a welcome and needed addition to the publications available of this two-part composition that captures both the lyricism and fiery drama of Schumann’s writing…this new Schumann edition is an important choice for any cellist’s music library. -Strings magazine