Composer

:

Richard Wagner

Genre

:

Keyboard

Style

:

Keyboard

Compose Date

:

1831

Average_duration

:

24:23

Richard Wagner's "Fantasia for piano in F sharp minor, WWV 22, Op. 3" was composed in 1831 when the composer was only 18 years old. The piece was premiered in Leipzig in 1836, with Wagner himself as the pianist. The "Fantasia" is a single-movement work that lasts approximately 20 minutes. It is characterized by its virtuosic piano writing, which showcases Wagner's technical abilities as a pianist. The piece is also notable for its use of chromaticism, which would become a hallmark of Wagner's later works. The "Fantasia" is divided into three main sections. The first section is marked "Largo," and features a slow, mournful melody in the right hand accompanied by a simple chordal accompaniment in the left hand. The second section is marked "Allegro con fuoco," and is much more virtuosic in nature. The right hand plays a rapid, arpeggiated melody while the left hand provides a driving accompaniment. The third section is marked "Adagio," and features a return to the mournful melody of the first section. Overall, the "Fantasia" is a highly expressive and technically demanding work that showcases Wagner's early talents as a composer and pianist. While it is not as well-known as some of Wagner's later works, it remains an important piece in the composer's early oeuvre.

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