Schumann really did not like the idea of these pieces being arranged for oboe and piano. Why did they do so anyway? There is something really out of balance in this recording, the oboe's sounds is just too slim and narrow for the lyricism of these pieces. The dialogue of piano and oboe is totally uneven and one really hears how much the pianist holds himself back. Although I must say that Mayer plays admittingly with a beautiful tone and much smoothness. Too bad that they had to cut notes out, just to make it possible for the tonal range of the oboe.
These are the 3 Fantasy Pieces for clarinet op. 73, not the Romances for oboe op. 94. You can check it. The Fantasy Pieces were always intended for clarinet, there is no version of the composer for oboe whatsoever. His publisher asked him for a clarinet version of op. 94, and he dismissed the idea.
Though I admittingly mixed the pieces up myself by claiming that Schumann did not like the Fantasy Pieces for oboe. There is no letters that I know of that proof this. However, his compositions for reed or brass and piano are always quite delicatly adapted to each of the instruments' characters, so I think there is still a point about it when I argue that this arrangement of op. 73 is out of balance. As I would claim the same way that it is not a good idea to play the Romances op. 94 with clarinet.
