Piano Concerto No. 6, 'Fantastique'

The 'Fantastique' concerto in B♭ major, Op. 90 (1833), is the most progressive of Moscheles's seven concertos and the point at which his style moves most decisively into Romantic territory. The nickname 'Fantastique' was suggested by a contemporaneous reviewer and refers to the free, rhapsodic quality of the first movement, which moves between episodes with a dreamlike quality quite different from the tighter Classical forms of the earlier concertos. The harmonic language is richer and more chromatic, the orchestration is more colourful, and the overall effect is more emotionally uninhibited. Mendelssohn admired it greatly. Schumann also reviewed it warmly in the Neue Zeitschrift, though he was ambivalent about Moscheles's continuing allegiance to the Classical tradition. Recorded on Hyperion as part of the complete concertos with Howard Shelley.

The 'Fantastique' should be played with a greater rhythmic freedom than the earlier concertos — the 'fantastique' quality comes partly from a flexibility of tempo that allows the episodic first movement to move between its different characters with something of the improvisatory quality of a fantasy. The richer harmonic language needs more generous pedalling than the earlier concertos, and the orchestral texture is denser — the balance between soloist and ensemble is more the issue of a Romantic concerto than a Classical one.