Schumann’s "Forest Scenes" op. 82 date from the years 1848/49. This was the composer’s most creative period but one which was marked by revolutionary unrest and political uncertainty. As well as choral compositions and major dramatic works including the opera "Genoveva" and "Manfred" Schumann created the intimate piano cycle Forest Scenes, inspired by illustrations of the same theme.

Early evidence of Schubert’s interest in music of the past can be found in his “Fantasy in C minor” of 1811 (D 2 E), with its echoes of Mozart’s fantasy in the same key. A recurring motivic snippet in the virtuosic “Graz Fantasy” in C major (D 605 A), probably composed between 1818 and 1821, already foreshadows the monumental “Wanderer Fantasy” of 1822 (op. 15 - D 760).