Fantasia in D minor, K. 397

The D minor Fantasia Kv 397, despite being a small scale work, is a true masterpiece, intense and highly dramatic. The work is like a scene from opera writ small, recalling the sombre mood of Don Giovanni : the darkly atmospheric introduction in D minor ; the lyrical theme, both plaintive and passionate, suspended between eloquent silences ; the breathless syncopations ; the failing chromaticism under a single repeated note that sounds like a judgement ; the final triumph of light in the D major conclusion, a sort of liberation of the soul. The D minor Fantasia, though not technically demanding, conceals beneath its apparent nudity a real difficulty of interpretation, even understanding. There is no music which does not clothe meaning, and it is for the performer to discover what lies behind and between the notes ; only then can the music begin to speak.