Romance Number 1 in B flat minor, opus 28 by Robert Schumann is from a set of three pieces called Drei Romanzen (Three Romances) for piano. I have also recorded Romance no.2 which you can listen to here. The Romances were written in 1839, during the Romantic era of Western art music – which was roughly from the 1820s (some say 1827 – the death of Beethoven) to 1900. Western art music is often referred to generally as “classical”, however the Classical period in music was actually one of four main eras within western art music, only running from circa 1750 to 1820. The other main eras are the Baroque period – 1600 to 1750, and the twentieth century.
This turbulent and dramatic piano piece features lyrical melodies, rubato and highly expressive qualities characteristic of the Romantic era. The fast roiling broken chords, emphatic octaves and frequent dissonances contribute to the tempestuous and passionate nature of this music.
I recorded this video in April 2017. I hope you have enjoyed listening to it.
You may also like to listen to my recording of Schumann Fantasy Dance.
You can listen to one of my own compositions – an improvisation blending Romantic and contemporary elements:
Here is another one of my modal improvisations – this one also blends contemporary and Romantic influence: