A major 18th-century genre, brought to the peak of perfection by Mozart, the concerto was obliged to find new solutions in the Romantic era. Schumann, a celebrated critic married to a great pianist, and Liszt, the international virtuoso, conceived the most innovative examples of the period. They lovingly fashioned shorter models in Concertstück style, beginning in medias res, with linked tempos powerfully structured by a generating motif suitable for transformation. Conceptions to engage both hearts and minds.