The main theme of the piece came to me as an amusement after comparing a theme from Eine Alpensinfonie by Richard Strauss to a similar one from the 2nd movement of Max Bruch’s G minor concerto No. 1 in G Minor. From then on, the Waltz Fantasy in D Minor appeared unpretentiously, free in form but strongly anchored in the traditional harmony and in the orchestra of the mid- nineteenth century.