The oboe and the viola are often associated with feelings of melancholy. The sound of the former is penetrating and somewhat nasal, while the latter is darker and more velvety. Yet both evoke introspection and nostalgia. These are common ideas about these two instruments, which, after all, are very different from each other. However, especially in music, opinions are never unanimous—particularly when it comes to assigning adjectives or making associations. For this reason, the Metropolitana Soloists invite each listener to form their own impressions.First, the oboe is featured in Clara Schumann’s Three Romances. Originally written for violin and piano, these pieces explore the balance between cantabile melodies and technical virtuosity. Next, the viola takes centre stage with a sonata by Franz Schubert, originally written for violin and arpeggione—a historical instrument resembling a guitar played like a cello. It was later adapted for other formations, as here in a viola and piano duo. Finally, the oboe and viola come together in a lesser-known work composed in 1872 by August Klughardt. Respectively based on five poems, these are short musical fantasies illustrating, in sequence: romantic love, nightfall on a lake surrounded by reeds and willows, the restlessness that recalls the beloved, a storm, and the light of the moon.
Romântico
Solistas da Metropolitana
C. Schumann Three Romances, Op. 22 (oboe and piano; originally for violin and piano)
F. Schubert Arpeggione Sonata (transcribed for viola and piano)
A. Klughardt Songs of the Reeds
Carla Pereira oboe
José Freitas viola
Dana Radu piano
