Konzertstück, Op. 86

Konzertstück, Op. 86, concerto in three movements by German composer Robert Schumann, noted for its expressive, lyrical quality and harmonic innovation. It was written in 1849 and premiered on February 25, 1850, in Leipzig, Saxony (now in Germany). The work is a rare showpiece for the horn, requiring not one soloist but four skilled players, which may account in large part for its relative neglect on the concert circuit. The word Konzertstück typically indicates a single extended movement, but Schumann may have preferred it because the movements of the piece are of shorter duration than was typical of the concerto.

Two orchestral chords introduce the horn quartet in the sonata-form first movement, entitled “Lebhaft” (German: “Lively”). The slow second movement, “Romanze,” begins with cellos and oboes playing a theme then taken up by the horns and followed by a lyrical chorale-like middle section. A return of the first theme closes the second movement, which is linked without pause to the third, “Sehr lebhaft” (“Very lively”). The third movement is characterized by many arpeggiated passages, and, as its name indicates, it is a return to the vibrant, energetic mood of the first movement.