Two Fairy Tales, Op. 20

Medtner described the first tale from this two-piece set as “an outpouring of sorrow and despair.” This is exemplified by the epic climax that occurs before the return of the opening melody. Next comes “Campanella,” a tale filled with doom and its relentless, driving rhythms. Medtner stated that this is “not a tale about a bell, but as one told by a bell, in whose chime can be heard calamity and terror.”