Fantaisie-Impromptu in C‑Sharp Minor

The Fantaisie-Impromptu—the addition of the word “Fantaisie” was probably not Chopin’s—was composed in 1834, but he chose not to publish it. It appeared as Op. 66 in 1855, six years after Chopin died, in Julian Fontana’s collection of the composer’s previously unpublished works. Various explanations for Chopin’s decision not to publish the piece have been put forward, most commonly that it bears a striking resemblance to the Impromptu, Op. 89 composed in the same year by Ignaz Moscheles. The truth is more straightforward: Chopin gave the manuscript of this piece to the Baroness d’Este, either as a gift or as the result of a private commission, and so withheld it from publication, as was not uncommon in such circumstances. As with his three later Impromptus, the form is a simple three-part design, blending elements of étude and nocturne. The virtuoso energy of the outer sections stems from the continuous cross-rhythms of the right-hand figuration and the left-hand accompaniment, with a distinctive theme emerging from the passagework. The slow central section, now in the major key, contains one of Chopin’s best-loved tunes, later set to the words “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows”, a 1917 song famously sung by Judy Garland in the film Ziegfeld Girl (1941). In an unexpected but touching twist, this tune returns in the left hand at the very end of the piece.