Phantasy

Composed in 1949 in Schoenberg’s adopted city of Los Angeles, the Phantasy Op. 47 is a choice example of his late style, bringing together his intricate 12-note composing method and the hyper-expressive idiom of his earlier years. The Phantasy was written for Adolph Koldofsky, a local violinist who gave the premiere as part of Schoenberg’s 75th birthday celebrations in September 1949. The title relates to the music’s unusual composition process: Schoenberg first wrote down the violin part separately, and only then added the piano accompaniment, although it’s evident that he imagined the Phantasy as a duo work of this kind from the start. While the music runs continuously, two main sections are indicated, marked “Grave” and “Scherzando”, both teeming with Schoenberg’s trademark inventive mastery. Meanwhile the overall design loosely resembles a traditional three-part (A-B-A) form; there is a central episode featuring a high-lying, lyrical violin line surrounded by flickering piano figuration, almost like a miniature slow movement.