Schubert, F :: Fantasy in C Major, Opus 159 (D. 934)

Fantasy in C Major, Opus 159 (D. 934)

Schubert, F

International Music Company presents Franz Schubert's 'Fantasy in C Major, Opus 159 (D. 934)' transcribed for flute and piano by Robert Stallman.

'Schubert (1797-1828) wrote this piece less than a year before his death. It is an 'easy-going, mainly lighthearted' work ... very 'Schubertian' [Roy Brewer]. But 'melodic and appealing as the Fantasy may be to hear, it is nevertheless extremely difficult to perform. It demands players of the greatest skill' [Eric Bromberger]. Schubert wrote it for a young Bohemian violin virtuoso, Josef Slawjk, whom Chopin called 'a second Paganini.' Premiered in January 1828, the work was panned by the local critics, one of whom candidly wrote that it was longer than a 'Viennese is prepared to devote to pleasures of the mind.' Although not published until 22 years after Schubert s death, the work has stood the test of time better than its original audience, with its short attention span, might have expected. The work was written in a single movement, but multiple sections either six or seven, depending on how you wish to count: I. Andante molto, II. Allegretto, III. Andantino, IV. Tempo primo, V. Allegro, VI. Allegretto and VII. Presto. The heart of the work is its third section -- a set of variations on Schubert s own 1821 song, 'Sei mir gegrubt!' ('Greetings to you!'), D.741.'

- Brightmusic Society of Oklahoma