Schubert: Impromptus, Opp. 90 & 142

Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), Alfred Brendel (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Alfred Brendel
• Composer: Franz [Vienna] Schubert
• Audio CD (October 19, 1989)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000040ZU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,508 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Classical Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 21-NOV-1989

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gold Standard Among Greats, February 12, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Schubert: Impromptus, Opp. 90 & 142 (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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite!, April 10, 2001

By 

Andrew Lim (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Schubert: Impromptus, Opp. 90 & 142 (Audio CD)

These are performances of the highest order. In each piece, Brendel achieves a wonderful balance between fine detail and overall structure, tenderness and strength, heart and mind. A beautiful recording. I have not heard, nor can I imagine, anything better.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Schubert Impromptus, May 13, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Schubert: Impromptus, Opp. 90 & 142 (Audio CD)

Being a young pianist myself, I was eager to listen to this CD, as I was starting to work on the Schubert Impromptu, Opus 90, No. 2. I enjoy listening to recordings to get ideas for dynamics and color to use in the pieces. This CD was far beyond my expectations. All of the pieces were gorgiously played, light and thoughtful as well, the latter being quite typical of Breandel. All in all, it is a fantastic recording that I am not able to stop listening to!