Schumann's Toccata, Op. 7 is a perpetual-motion tour de force that calls for pianists of exceptional digital abilities. It is cast in in a sonata-allegro form; bold chords announce the main theme, which requires a continuous rocking motion in both hands even as it cascades over the keyboard. (This is likely the sort of passage that Schumann famously ruined his hands trying to master.) The second subject offers little relief for the pianist, and the development, with its unison octaves, even less. The piece finally fades away, as though from exhaustion. For all its fireworks, the Toccata never loses the delightful spirit of the composer at his most playful, the quality that lifts the work beyond the realm of mere technical display.

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