On her new release, “Schumann Romances”, oboist Céline Moinet presents a selection of works written by Schumann for the oboe or which were specially arranged for the instrument. “I took the liberty of transposing some works for my own instrument, although oboists of Schumann’s era had already discovered his oeuvre for themselves,” explains the artist. Clara Schumann too composed Romances (op. 22), originally for violin and piano, but which lend themselves equally well to the oboe. And there is a wonderful arrangement by Theodor Kirchner of Robert Schumann’s Studies for the Pedal Piano op. 56, which brings together the oboe, cello and piano. In fact, it was not Träumerei, which came so strongly in the twentieth century to embody the image of Schumann’s character and oeuvre, but Abendlied op. 85 (no. 12) that was by far the best known of Robert Schumann’s works in the nineteenth century. It is therefore hardly surprising that Céline Moinet chose both works for her album, thereby eliciting new nuances from Schumann’s two “hits” with her instrument. Ultimately, it is Schumann’s Lieder and lyric gems that are lent a completely unique new coloring thanks to the oboe’s timbre. And even though there are no lyrics to this version for oboe and piano – the poetry comes out fully in any case – this is clearly a declaration of love set to music.
