The Fantasy in C major, Op.17 was composed during a period of great desperation and longing for the unattainable Clara Wieck. It has been often designated as Schumann’s most successful piano work, contrasting the principle of the free rhapsody with the tightly-knit sonata form. The “Forest Scenes,” Op. 82 are nine miniatures related to the enchanted world of the “Scenes from Childhood.” They are programmatically designed and marked by a folkloristic tone. Outstanding amongst them is the scene entitled “The Bird as Prophet,” in which the song of the bird is naturalistically imitated. The Three Fantasy Pieces, Op.111, originally entitled Romances, form a cycle, bringing this recording to a “powerful and very marked” close.

Nicolas Bringuier delves into the music with analytical awareness, technical perfection and clarity in sound, forming it with a lyrically breathing manner, musical impulses and emotional expression. The combination of structure and analysis with expression and emotion enables the listener to find a profound way of access into the music.