Robert Schumann was born the son of a clergyman in the town of Zwickau, Saxony, in 1810. Although he was gifted musically, he was encouraged to enter the University in Leipzig in 1828 in order to study law. Soon thereafter, Schumann realized that his true passion lay in music, and so began devoting himself to the practice of piano and the art of composition.In 1834 Schumann became founder and editor for the Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik, a venture that provided him with some financial stability and success as a music critic.It was just two years later that he fell in love with Clara, the daughter of his music teacher, Friedrich Wieck. Clara was an outstanding pianist, a virtuoso who was much sought after as concert artist. Although Clara’s father opposed the union, Schumann appealed to the court and they were married in 1840. Much of Schumann’s music reflects events in his life, and one often hears this sense of struggle and conflict. 

The Adagio and Allegro, op. 70, originally written for horn and entitled Romanze and Allegro, was written in 1849 during a period in which Schumann experienced renewed interest in composition. The piece embodies Schumann’s struggles between conflicting emotions, beginning with a deeply introspective Adagio, which expresses great emotion throughout. This is followed by a fiery and passionate Allegro which, before concluding, is interrupted by a brief reminiscence of the opening.