Oboist Nicholas Daniel and pianist Julius Drake - CD Review, October 9th, 2024

Clara Schumann - Three Romances Op. 22; Robert Schumann - Three Romances Op. 94; Mondnacht Op. 39 No. 5; Three Duets (arrangement by Howard Ferguson).

British musicologist Stephen Johnson, in the introduction to this album, says: "Like his protégé Johannes Brahms, the composer Robert Schumann published several pieces for chamber ensembles, with the possibility of varying scores for different instrumental combinations. It was common practice in the 19th century through the German-speaking territory". Schumann and Clara Schumann's household was a veritable artistic effervescence, with recitals and private concerts given by the two composers together with their friends from the elite cultural circles of the time. It was in this context that some of the pieces included on the album recorded in July 2023 at Potton Hall in Dunwich, Suffolk, by oboist Nicholas Daniel and pianist Julius Drake, two of the leading musicians of the performing arts in the UK today, were born.

The album, released on August 23rd, 2024 on the Chandos label, features romantic works characterized by a melancholic atmosphere and lyricism: Three Romances Op. 22 by Clara Schumann, along with a varied selection of chamber pieces by Robert Schumann in arrangements for oboe and piano.

Nicholas Daniel, 62, is one of Britain's most famous musicians. In 1980 he won the BBC Young Musician competition and ventured into an impressive career, performing concerts all over the world and making his BBC Proms debut. He has a substantial repertoire and has performed hundreds of oboe scores in world premieres, tackling both popular and new works in his programs. As a soloist he has performed with renowned orchestras, is also a conductor - he founded the Britten Sinfonia, Haffner Wind Ensemble and Britten Oboe Quartet, and since 2004 has been a professor at the Musikhochschule Trossingen, and has been awarded the Queen's Medal for Music and the Officer of the Order of Great Britain for his outstanding artistic work. And 65-year-old pianist Julius Drake, a highly respected artist, has made a name for himself in the UK as a chamber music performer and is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music in London.