Description
The very expression marks of Schumann's op. 12 "Fantasy Pieces" - "with humor," "slow and tender," "extremely brisk" - illuminate the kaleidoscope of ideas and moods that define their musical universe. Our revised new edition presents not only the eight original pieces, but also an appendix containing a ninth work that Schumann excised during the final stages of publication.
Several of the composer's friends, including the work's dedicatee Robena Ann Laidlaw, played selections from op. 12 in public before it appeared in print. Later, the work achieved rapid and widespread popularity, perhaps best exemplified by the glowing praise from Franz Liszt, who excitedly wrote to Schumann, "Your 'Fantasy Pieces' have captured my interest in an extraordinary way. I play them truly with delight, and Lord knows there are not many things of which I can say the same."
