The Fantasia is divided into four movements, which are interconnected and played without pause. A typical performance lasts about 20 minutes. The basic idea of a fantasia with four connected movements also appears in Schubert's
Wanderer Fantasy, and represents a stylistic bridge between the traditional
sonata form and the essentially free-form
tone poem. The form of this work, with its relatively tight structure (more so than the fantasias of
Beethoven and
Mozart), was influential on the work of
Franz Liszt, who arranged the
Wanderer Fantasy as a piano concerto, among other transcriptions he made of Schubert's music.
I. Allegro molto moderato The piece opens with a lyrical melody with
dotted rhythms that is reminiscent of the Hungarian style.
II. Largo The second movement opens with an angry, somewhat turbulent fortissimo theme in F minor. While marked
largo, the frequently double-dotted first theme lends a great deal of tension to this movement. Eventually the first theme gives way to a quiet, lyrical second theme. The first theme is reprised, ending on the C major dominant.
III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace Following the F minor, agitated second movement, the third movement scherzo is a bright, lively movement in the same key, reminiscent of the scherzos of other works Schubert wrote at this time, like those of his piano trios. After a delicate D major trio, the scherzo returns, at first seemingly in F minor. The repeat of the scherzo shifts between A major and F minor, ultimately ending on C octaves that drive into a transition back toward F minor for the finale. ==Transcriptions==