Romanze in F major (1883)

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

Romanze in F major (1883)

Outstanding among the chamber works Strauss wrote in his late teens and early twenties is the Sonata in F major Op.6, which has a cello part of such breadth that you would probably have to look as far ahead as the Dvorak Concerto to find anything comparable. First performed by its dedicatee Hanus Wihan (to whom Dvorak was to dedicate his Concerto 11 years later) it was such a success that within a few months Strauss had completed the Romanze, also in F major, for cello and orchestra. Although it is dedicated to the composer’s uncle, a high ranking official in Munich, the Romanze was no doubt intended for Wihan, who did indeed perform it on several occasions.

It was probably also for Wihan that Strauss wrote a shorter version of the Romanze for cello and piano which not only reduces its duration by a third but also, by omitting its more challenging episodes, effectively emasculates it. Today’s performance is based on a cello-and-piano arrangement of the complete Romanze which, although the manuscript is written in another hand, is believed to be Strauss’s own transcription. Certainly, it is faithful to the orchestral version in just about every detail.

The melodious first entry of the cello against gentle F major harmonies (on woodwind in the original) suggests that the work is destined to reflect its unambitious “Romance” title. But as the solo part gathers expressive intensity, over a throbbing accompaniment, it develops an interest in a three-note motif which is to become a far from lyrical obsession. After a peremptory intervention from the piano, for example, it initiates a dramatic D minor passage beginning ff low on the C-string and, taken up by the piano, it is incorporated in a new, slightly quicker melody in D major. That motif, with its diagnostic dotted rhythm between the first two notes, is prominent too in a central episode which is a spectacular combination of recitative and cadenza marked by multi-stopped chords. By way of the three-note motif, however, the opening theme does return with its F major harmonies, signalling the start of a reprise which, though not lacking passion, is devoted to the more lyrical material of the work. The three note motif has the all but last word on the piano in the quiet closing bars.