This piece, sometimes called a Piano Concertino, though often overshadowed by Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor and thus rarely performed, is a captivating miniature work that compactly combines elegant and serene scenes with passionate and varied musical ideas. It was composed in Dresden in 1849.

The introduction is a Lento in 4/4 time. It is a peaceful and leisurely piece, mostly written with arpeggiated passages. The Allegro section shifts to 2/2 time, beginning with a powerful theme in E minor, modulating through various keys, and continuously undergoing changes in musical character.