Robert Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro is one of many beautiful works to come out of the Romantic Period, but unusual for its intimate orchestration. The defining feature of Romanticism was maximum expression through almost any means necessary. Bigger orchestras, longer works, and more advanced harmonic concepts with a maximalist tilt were the norm, with each major work pushing the boundaries more than the last. Alternatively, there were many character pieces and songs that resulted from a smaller movement towards simplicity in lyrical beauty. Schumann explores this most notably in his lieder for voice and piano as well as his character pieces, but also in chamber works such as Adagio and Allegro.

Originally written for horn and piano, this piece receives a wide variety of transcriptions due to the ease of adaptability within the music, receiving transcriptions for everything from violin to tuba. The music works particularly well for the saxophone. The dark, earthy tone and technical agility are a perfect fit, and capture the essence of the music exceedingly well.

The work is titled for its two contrasting attacca movements, Adagio and Allegro. The Adagio is a beautiful song-like movement, with flowing melodies and gentle rhythms that truly capture Schumann’s ability to pair down romantic era lyricism for smaller ensembles. The solo line interplays with the rich piano voicings many times throughout, making the pianist equally important to the saxophone part and transcend the usual role of the accompanist.

The Allegro picks up the pace considerably from the Adagio. The piano part starts off hammering away at huge Beethoven-esque chords that give way to lilting triplet lines that weave in and out of the solo line throughout the work. The tempo marking, “Fast and Fiery” really alludes to the character of this movement, as the high energy Allegro allows for moments of virtuosity amidst the lilting lyricism. The movement is structured in a rounded binary form with a coda, contrasting the fiery A sections with the lyrical B section alluding to the Adagio.