Customer Reviews

Schubert: The Complete Impromptus

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Albert Brendel is an outstanding pianist and excellent interpreter of Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert. He is a complete master of these famous pieces by Schubert and he plays these pieces with such grace, delicate touch and refined tone.

I just heard Brendel in concert playing one of these Impromptus and he was letter perfect, with exceptional tone. His playing is quite moving, bordering toward the sacred.

This CD collection by Philips is the one to own. It includes all of Schubert's Impromptus and includes German Dances and Klavierstucke. What an outstanding bargain!! This CD is an absolute must for fans of Schubert and piano music!

It's hard to imagine better performances of these works, either technically or emotionally. Brendel takes a relatively straight line through the works that reveals their varied emotional glory. This is beauty through structure, realized though a heartfelt and thoroughly considered, yet spontaneous-sounding performance. This wonderous music is simple in form, but beautiful and emotional when played spectacularly well as here by Brendel.

Recordings are from 1972 through 1975 on analog tape. Sound quality is phenomenal. There are no obvious limits imposed by the very high quality analog tape, microphone technique or recording hall, other than perhaps a touch of overload. (Piano is notoriously hard to record well due to wide dynamic range, sharp percussive attacks, a large physical volume, etc.) It would not be surprising if this digital transfer sounds better than the LPs it was originally released on. The piano is a bit close-miked, yet there is very good hall sound.

If I would be urged to choose the best of the best versions of Schubert's complete impromptus (available now in the CD market) my options would surely vacillate between two legendary renditions committed to disc in early 1970s by two of the greatest performers of the classical Viennese composer: Alfred Brendel and Radu Lupu. Each of the two versions shines and conquers you in its own right: Brendel's by a fresh and light playfulness simply inviting to soar, Lupu's by a lyrical introspection that thrills giving rise to a delicate and romantic melancholy. Both betting on the beauty of this unmatched marvelous music...

Although Brendel relapsed to these wonderful impromptus in late 1980s digital recordings of the late Schubert's works (1822-1828), his previous version seems to me the definitive one, the most inspired and successful in getting the very essence of the Schubertian grace. There is an infallible joy in his playing, yet a permanent restrain controls the proceedings. Brendel's conception proves serene, imaginative, cordial and confessing. Neither too direct, nor too elaborated. But in permanent seek for the right nuance and proper mood of each note, for voicing the meaning of the deepest emotions. His technique aims to firmly touch the contours but never crossing them, never distorting them. His famous sense of narration in music stands here at its most seductive. Each particular phrase tells a story, suggests a history, unfold instants of a destiny. I fond of Brendel's fondness of humbly mediate such an elegant and beautiful music. There are moments when I am tempted to make up my choice regarding the best of the best recorded Schubert impromptus...

Try this twofer and you won't be disappointed. After repeated listening to it, you will feel enticed to think of choosing the best of the best Schubert recorded impromptus too...

The recording is a techicaaly superb production. Brendel's technical ability and mastery of pianism is on rich display. Schubert's Impromptus Opus 90 and Opus 142 rate with the finest, most tuneful of his composition. Everthing that Schubert wrote, whether explicitly so or not is a song and these 8 Impromptus are among the best. I have enjoyed the cd several times already and it has pride of place in my collection. I expect to return to it again (and again).

These Schubert pieces are so beautifully portrayed by the piano artist here. It captivates me every time I listen. Anyone who loves Schubert and appreciates the difficulty and complex emotion in his pieces would love these 2 CDs!

I've always heard Brendel was a great interpreter of Beethoven, but have not heard his recordings before this work of Schubert. Brendel is an amazing pianist, and Schubert an inspiring composer. Some say this work by Brendel doesn't bring out the fullness of Schubert, but if this isn't one of the best recordings of Schubert, I'll eat my hat.

Franz Schubert's piano impromptus are not big music.

Not only are the pieces relatively brief, but the absence of instruments other than solo piano and the evasion of bombast by Schubert altogether make these compositions small music.

But small is beautiful.

Alfred Brendel is at his understated best in his mastery of this genre. Lovers of the keyboard already know that Brendel can flow with Beethovian grandeur together with the best of them. He approaches Schubert's Impromptus, Deutsche Tanze, and Moment Musicaux as an artist with nothing to prove. The result is a pure reading of Schubert that leaves one savoring the music rather than the performer. That's a nice result that credits rather than demeans the pianist.

The Philips Classic ('Duo') series is at its usual peak form for quality, price, and therefore value.