Schubert: Piano Duets (Fantasy in F Minor, Variations etc.)

Featuring

Paul Lewis
Steven Osborne
Franz Schubert

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Schubert was fascinated by the challenge of unifying sonata movements into a continuous whole, similar to Beethoven's 'quasi una fantasia' sonatas.

Historical Context

Piano duetting was a popular pastime during Schubert's era, and publishing piano duets was more viable than publishing solo piano music.

Composer Biography

Schubert reportedly fell deeply in love with Karoline Esterházy, the younger countess, during his second visit to Zseliz when she was a young woman.

Composer Biography

Schubert composed several significant four-hand works during two extended visits to Hungary, where he worked as a music-master for the daughters of Count Esterházy von Galánta.

Composition History

A publisher divided one of Schubert's large-scale sonatas into two halves, releasing them under different titles and opus numbers, likely to increase sales and disguise its serious nature.

Composition History

Schubert and his composer friend Franz Lachner composed the Fugue in E minor, D952, together in one night for an impromptu performance on the famous organ at Heiligenkreuz Abbey near Vienna.

Compositional Technique

The Fantasie in F minor, D940, incorporates a fugue in its final section, similar to Mozart's F minor Fantasia K608, which was originally for mechanical organ.