Franz Schubert:
Fanasia in C major

Richard Strauss:
Violin sonata, Op. 18 in E-flat major

The free form of the Fantasia fascinated Franz Schubert his entire life. In fact, his Op. 1 was a piano Fantasia for four hands.

In December 1827, along with the second part of the Winterreise (Winter Journey) he composed the F antasia in C major for piano and violin.

One month later, the violin virtuoso Josef Slawjk, a good friend of Chopin, and the pianist Karl Maria Bocket performed the piece in a private concert at the Landhaus in Vienna.

Public critique on the piece was quite perplexing. From “Sammler” on 7 February 1828: “The Fantasia for piano and violin took more time than the Viennese are interested in dedicating to intellectual pleasures. The auditorium grew emptier with time, and the reporter admitted that he didn’t know what to say about the outcome of the musical piece.”