Theodor Kirchner

Adagio quasi Fantasia op. 12

Adagio quasi Fantasia op. 12 was published in March 1870 by Gebrüder Hug in Zurich after a nine-year break in publication. Alongside the two Scherzi op. 8 and op. 54 (new edition: E.D. 30801), it is the only piano work by Kirchner to be published as a single piece outside of a cycle. With a playing time of around six minutes, it is also one of his longest piano pieces. Kirchner was known as an excellent improviser on the organ and piano. The fantasy, which is not bound to a specific form, accommodates this disposition. New elements and combinations gradually develop from an initial theme. The basic theme exposed in the first eight bars has the character of a song without words in the style of Mendelssohn. These eight bars contain the basic material for the whole piece. (Jürg Löffler)