Four Rhapsodies, Op. 11

Four concert rhapsodies for solo piano composed 1902–1903. Each is a free fantasy-like structure built on a succession of contrasting themes, developing in dramatic gestures, lyrical episodes, and brilliant passagework toward a climactic close. The four keys — G minor, F♯ minor, C major, E♭ minor — cover a wide range of character, from turbulent to elegiac to brilliant. Among Dohnányi's most frequently performed piano works, they show him moving confidently toward his own mature voice within a thoroughly Brahmsian tradition.