''Three Fantasiestücke'' for piano, Op. 111, were written in 1851 by

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

History

Title

''Three Fantasiestücke'' for piano, Op. 111, composed in 1851, is one of four works by Schumann entitled . The other three are: * ''Fantasiestücke'', Op. 12 (1837), eight pieces for solo piano, also based on Hoffmann's ''Fantasiestücke in Callots Manier'' * ''Fantasiestücke'', Op. 73 (1849), three pieces for clarinet and piano ( ad.lib violin or cello) * ''Phantasiestücke'', Op. 88 (1842), for piano, violin and cello in four movements The title was inspired by the collection of letters and writings about music published in 1814–1815, ''Fantasiestücke in Callots Manier'' by

E. T. A. Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann; 24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822) was a German Romantic author of fantasy and Gothic horror, a jurist, composer, music critic and artist.Penrith Goff, "E.T.A. Hoffmann" in ...

, one of Schumann's favourite authors. The composer greatly appreciated the 17th-century engraver's sense of fantasy.

Composition

Schumann composed the Op. 111 in 1851, a few months after his appointment as of the

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

Orchestra. In September,

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...

wrote in her diary: "Robert has composed three piano pieces of a grave and passionate character which I like very much."

Inspiration

In these three pieces, Schumann recaptures the "passionate tone that was characteristic of the ''Fantasiestücke'', Op. 12, composed fourteen years earlier in 1837. They reveal "the composer's ardour, impetuosity and inner youth, followed by a contemplative and peaceful atmosphere". He is said to have written them as a tribute to

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's Opus 111, the Piano Sonata No. 32, because of his predilection for this work.

Details

Duration

Schumann gave precise indications concerning the tempo, but each pianist adapts it according to his temperament. As a result, the total duration of the performance of the three pieces is variable, between 10 and 12 minutes.

Short description

The two pianists James Friskin and Irwin Freundlich present the '' Three Fantasiestücke'' for piano, Op. 111 as follows: "These short pieces were intended to be played in sequence; but this does not seem absolutely essential." 1. ery quickly, with passionate expression( Molto vivace et appassionatamente) in

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: Cha ...

:This has a fine passionate sweep and displays much of Schumann's old power and inspiration; it is technically fairly taxing.
''Duration: 2–3:45 minutes'' 2. (Quite slow) (Piuttosto lento), in

A-flat major A-flat major is a major scale based on A♭ (musical note), A, with the pitches A, B♭ (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D♭ (musical note), D, E♭ (musical note), E, F (musical note), F, and G (musical note), G. Its key signature has fou ...

:Lyrically beautiful and technically simple.
''Duration: 4:45 / 5:35 minutes'' 3. owerful and very marked(Con forza, assai marcato), in C minor :An energetic marchlike tune, with contrasting middle section and coda featuring graceful

arabesques The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...

.
''Duration: 3:15 / 3:45 minutes''

Selected recordings

Claudio Arrau Claudio Arrau León (; February 6, 1903June 9, 1991) was a Chilean and American pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning the baroque music, baroque to 20th-century classical music, 20th-century composers, especially B ...

, ''Edition Schumann, compilation'' (7 CDs), 1991, opus 111 : CD 6-Track 2,

Philips Classics Records Philips Classics Records, commonly referred to as Philips Classics, was a classical music label founded by PolyGram that existed from 1983 until 2009. A new division called Philips Classics Productions was set up to manage the Philips Classics l ...

432308–2, Germany .. *

Maria Grinberg Maria Grinberg ( Russian: Mария Израилевна Гринберг, Marija Israilevna Grinberg; September 6, 1908 – July 14, 1978) was a Russian pianist. Biography She was born in Odessa, Russian Empire. Her father was a Hebrew schol ...

, ''The Art of Maria Grinbert, recordings from 1946 to 1976 (34 CDs)'', 2019 (opus 111: CD20), Scribendum SC814. *

Andreas Haefliger Andreas Haefliger (born September 11, 1962) is a German-born Swiss pianist. Early life and education Born in Berlin on September 11, 1962, Haefliger is the youngest son of famed tenor Ernst Haefliger and interior designer and architect Anna Gol ...

, ''Schumann :Plusieurs pièces pour piano, 1988 (Schumann, several pieces for piano, 1988)'',

Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired ...

8869774024. *

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing. Life ...

, ''The Unreleased Live Recordings, 1966-1983'', Sony Classical 88843054582. *

Antonín Kubálek Antonín Kubálek (November 8, 1935January 18, 2011) was a Czech-Canadian classical pianist. Life and career Kubálek was born in Libkovice, Most District, Czechoslovakia and studied in Prague with Czech pianist František Maxián. He emigrated ...

, ''Piano music of Robert Schumann ( several pieces including opus 111)'', 1988, Dorian DOR-90116. *

Kun-Woo Paik Kun-woo Paik (; born March 10, 1946, in Seoul) is a South Korean pianist. He has performed with multiple orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic. Early life Kun-Woo ...

, ''Schumann'', 2020,

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

UPC 00028948551460. *

Éric Le Sage Éric Le Sage (born 15 June 1964 in Aix-en-Provence) is a contemporary French classical pianist. Biography After he finished his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris, Le Sage went to London to improve by Maria Curcio. Éric Le Sage is best ...

, ''Schumann project: The Complete Piano Solo Music (opus 111: CD 6 tracks 10-12)'', 2012, Alpha, .

References

Sources

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