The album contains two fantasies for solo piano, composed by Franz Schubert, an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras, and Robert Schumann, a German composer of the Romantic era.
The piano was played by Maurizio Pollini, an Italian pianist known for his exceptional performing technique.
Schubert’s “Wanderer-Fantasie” was recorded in 1973, and it was released on LP with Schubert’s Piano Sonata in A minor D. 845 (Op. 42) by Deutsche Grammophon in 1974.
Schumann’s Fantasie was recorded in 1973, and it was released on LP with Schumann’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in F♯ minor, Op. 11 by Deutsche Grammophon in 1973.
In both recordings, the lyrical beauty of the composition is expressed clearly by Pollini’s excellent performing technique.
Schubert’s Fantasie in C major, Op. 15, D. 760 (published in 1822) is a four-movement, free-form fantasy in the sonata style. It is a magnificent composition with a lot of arpeggios, and it is technically demanding. It is commonly referred to “Wanderer Fantasy” because the melody of his lied “Der Wanderer”, D. 489 (1816) is used as the variation theme of the second movement.
Schumann’s Fantasie in C major, Op. 17 (1836) is a three-movement fantasy in the sonata style. It is a splendid and passionate composition filled with romanticism. It is regarded as one of his greatest works for solo piano. A phrase of Beethoven’s song cycle “An die ferne Geliebte (To the distant beloved)”, Op. 98 (1816) is quoted in the coda of the first movement.
