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Wanderer Fantasy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fantasie in C major, Op. 15 (D. 760), popularly known as the "Wanderer" Fantasy, is a four-movement fantasy for solo piano composed by Franz Schubert in November 1822.
The whole work is based on one single basic motive, from which all themes are developed. This motive is distilled from the theme of the second movement, which is set in C sharp minor and is a sequence of variations on a melody taken from the lied Der Wanderer, which Schubert wrote in 1816. It is this set of variations from which the work's popular name is derived.
The four movements are played without a break. After the first movement Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo in C major and the second movement Adagio, follow a scherzo presto in A flat major and the finale, which returns to the key of C major. This finale starts out as a fugue but later breaks into a virtuoso piece.
The Wanderer Fantasy is considered Schubert's most technically demanding composition for the piano. Schubert himself is reputed to have said "the devil may play it", in reference to his own inability to do so properly.
Franz Liszt, who was fascinated by this piece, transcribed the work for piano and orchestra (S.366) and two pianos (S.653). He additionally edited the original score and added some various interpretations in ossia, and made a complete rearrangement of the final movement (S.565a).
Wanderer Fantasy was available at IMSLP