Arabeske by Schumann arr. Daniel Lesieur

Robert Schumann composed his Arabeske during a time of forced separation from his soon to be wife, Clara, in 1839. It contains sweet melodies of love and longing for Clara as well as melodies of frustration and depression from both his professional life and romance. Daniel Lesieur’s arrangement for two marimbas, captures the wistful longing Schumann experienced while composing his original work and brings these emotions to the world of percussion.

Since the success of the performance of Arabeske relies on solid communication between the two performers, Lesieur recommends both players use a common reference recording of the original piano versions to ensure a unified familiarization with expression, rubato, rhythm, and dynamics. If done effectively, the two marimbists should interpret the music as how a solo pianist would perform it.