Our series of revised Schumann editions continues with this delicately wrought set of variations. ôOpus 18 and 19 are frail things for ladiesö: thus, with a wink of the eye, Schumann alluded to his wish to become ôthe favourite composer of every woman in Vienna.ö In fact, at this time he was having trouble making headway in Vienna at all, and his dream of settling there with Clara was fading fast. The work takes its distinctive lyrical flavour from the fact that he may have wanted to accommodate the lighter Viennese taste.
Schumann: Flower Piece (Blumenst¾ck) op. 19