Schubert: The Complete Impromptus

Franz Schubert (Artist), Alfred Brendel (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 11, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000041MS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,355 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gold Standard Among Greats, February 2, 2002

By 

Christopher Smith (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Schubert: The Complete Impromptus (Audio CD)

Schubert's Impromptus are among my most favorite piano music. Schubert is unique among composers in that he can evoke the most complex emotions out of the simplest and most irresistible melodies, and the changes of mood even within the space of a few bars are staggering in these pieces. To me they are the greatest measure of a pianist's heart, because while the technical challenges of the Impromptus are not enormous, a pianist must possess the kind of empathy necessary to follow the music's journey into the depths of human heartbreak and joy.

Because I love this music so much, I either own or have borrowed from libraries many interpretations--Perahia, Uchida, Zimerman, Pires, Kempff--yet Brendel remains the standard against which all the others must be measured. His approach to the Impromptus is deceptively direct, never overwrought and precious, and he just lays bare their infinite richness without holding back or muddying their overall effect.

My other favorite is Perahia, who is a little more restrained in his playing, and who is in his own way every bit as impressive as Brendel, so I'd have to say it is difficult to choose between the two. In the end I suppose it just comes down to personal preference, and here I have to go with Brendel, because his interpretations seem a shade less mannered and communicate to me the improvisatory (ie. the impromptu) nature of these compositions. Better though to own both, and hear for yourself the kinds of divergent responses these masterpieces cvan evoke.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical, March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Schubert: The Complete Impromptus (Audio CD)

Schubert's Impromptus, particularly nos. 3 and 4 of Opus 90, are among the most beautiful and moving of all piano works, and in the hands of Brendel they are otherworldly. His combination of technical perfection, color, shading, and passion is unsurpassable.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure, simple and direct, December 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Schubert: The Complete Impromptus (Audio CD)

As with his other Schubert, Brendel's playing has such a natural feeling to it throughout these performances. While his playing is deeply emotional, Brendel also shows a measure of self-restraint that lets the music breathe in a way that it doesn't in the hand of other interpreters, even greats like Horowitz. The recording quality is outstanding, so there's nothing standing between you and the music.