Classical Music | Music for Duo

Recorded on 04/22/2008, uploaded on 01/27/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Fantasy in f minor, Op. 103     Franz Schubert

Schubert wrote many works for piano duet, mainly to entertain his musical friends at soirées or, as these evenings later became known, "Schubertiads." Almost all of these are dance-like, light and up-beat. However, the Fantasy in F minor stands apart among all his works for this medium. Written in 1828 (the last year of Schubert's life), it is a very dark, gloomy work, shot through with moments of melancholy pleasure and tender lyricism. Schubert is seen by many as the embodiment of the Romantic spirit: the ever-wandering figure, never finding inner peace. This can be seen in the structure of this work: the haunting melody that opens the work repeats often, and in many different keys and guises, depicting this "wandering". The Fantasy ends with an expansive fugue, showcasing Schubert's genius in contrapuntal writing, contributing to what some call his crowning achievement in this genre.      Westhuizen Duo

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.