Schubert: Impromptus/Klavierstücke

On this CD:

1. Impromptu for piano in F minor, D. 935/1 (Op. posth. 142/1)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Claudio Arrau

2. Impromptu for piano in A flat major, D. 935/2 (Op. posth. 142/2)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Claudio Arrau

3. Impromptu for piano in B flat major, D. 935/3 (Op. posth. 142/3)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Claudio Arrau

4. Impromptu for piano in F minor, D. 935/4 (Op. posth. 142/4)
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Claudio Arrau

5. Piece for piano in E flat minor (impromptu), D. 946/1
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Claudio Arrau

6. Piece for piano in E flat major (impromptu), D. 946/2
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Claudio Arrau

7. Piece for piano in C major (impromptu), D. 946/3
Composed by Franz Schubert
Performed by Claudio Arrau

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No. 21 In B Flat, D. 960: Molto moderato
Piano Sonata No. 21 In B Flat, D. 960: Andante sostenuto
Piano Sonata No. 21 In B Flat, D. 960: Scherzo. Allegro vivace con delicatezza
Piano Sonata No. 21 In B Flat, D. 960: Allegro ma non troppo
3 KlavierstD. 946: No. 1 In E Flat Minor - Allegro assai
3 KlavierstD. 946: No. 2 In E Flat - Allegretto
3 KlavierstD. 946: No. 3 In C - Allegro

Amazon.com essential recording

This is a marvelous musical coupling: Schubert's overwhelmingly moving last Piano Sonata and the visionary set of pieces written a few months earlier. There are several outstanding performances of the Sonata currently available, including those of Schnabel, Lupu, and Curzon. For the Piano Pieces, the only performance of comparable stature in the current catalogs seems to be one by Kyoko Tabe (Denon), which has the same Sonata for coupling. Neither pianist is very heart-on-sleeve in any of this music, so if you want more overtly romantic Schubert, look elsewhere. But both Uchida and Tabe give us profoundly moving interpretations of all this music, each on such a high level that it's impossible to make a choice between them. I'd buy 'em both. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

listen with your heart.......2007-05-02

I've listened to Schubert's sonata D 960 (on recordings) played by Schnabel, Brendel, Richter and Tabe; none comes remotely close to the lyricism that Uchida evokes with her overt feminine interpretaion. The first movement especially, it is as if the music is sung from the artist's soul.

While many audiences seem to prefer the slow version played by Richter, to me, overly exaggerated stretches in the timing of movement one seems out of character with the rest of the piece. It doesn't appear to me that Schubert is communicating his farewell with despair, even in these last moments in his life; or else he would not have ended this last Sonata with such power and hope. In my opinion, Uchida balances the hesitations well with the silences; and fluidity with a clarity of articulation that resembles distantly to Clara Haskil.

A great piece of music never stands by itself; nor does it lie dormant solely with the composer, locked away in a certain century or time. It is always renewed in the understanding, the spirit of each different performer. It is an evocation not only of the original composer's intention, but also is a statement of timeless echo of the evolving nature of life.

Subtle and heartfelt........2006-09-29

Mitsuko Uchida's interpretation of the last sonata is very striking and individual. The music becomes elemental, almost approaching sounds one might hear in nature, such as the soughing of trees, or the swell of the sea - this organic cohesion is clearly very much intended, and for me suggested a vision of Schubert's music as an exploration of certain emotional states, the piano becoming a source of effects designed to conjure these emotions.
*
There seems to be some controversy over the sound quality of this recording. Ms.Uchida has obviously used a different instrument here to the rest of her cycle - this has a sonorous tone, lacking in the last detail of clarity, but eminently suited to the piece. The actual engineering seems completely acceptable to me - the acoustic is warm and slightly reverberant. The sound, then, is very much crafted by the performer to reflect her perceptions of the piece. My tastes lean towards the 'audiophile', and I found this recording very atmospheric and enjoyable - it feels like sitting a moderate distance from the stage in a sympathetically voiced auditorium.
*
My favourite interpreter of this work remains Andras Schiff, but as an intriguing alternative view this is wonderful.

Not for every taste.......2005-04-26

The mixed reviews of this album reflect how strongly Uchida personalizes this music. If you like what she does: Wow! And if not, it will leave you cold. I've owned this CD for 4 months and keep coming back to it after listening to other interpretations ranging from Brendel's powerful but rather impersonal one to Horowitz's quirky but unforgettable effort.

Traditional Japanese music uses silence as much as sound to express its meaning and, in the first two movements of D. 960, Uchida allows the silence to have its say. Try listening to some shakuhachi music and then listen to this recording again. I guarantee it will make much more sense.

Uchida isn't afraid of a thunderclap cutting through Schubert's sweetness. The bravura she brings to the powerful sections seems even more titanic after her ethereal softness.

In Schubert's solo piano music, he seems to be expressing deeply personal feelings. Hearing how a variety of artists bring his work to life is worth the time and expense. If you're on this quest, don't miss Uchida.

Honesty, conviction, personality and poetry!.......2005-04-07

At last from the East a new star has arisen: Uchida owns all the demanded requisites to triumph in this difficult career. She has a magnificent color sense and reminds me to Guiomar Novaes in this aspect, besides she has a very clean phrasing with an outstanding cantabile line that reminds us to Edwin Fisher and also a superior technique of the highest caliber. Even she is still in his early ages, I think her future is simply unlimited: somehow she has filled a sensible emptiness concerning with the raising stars of the instrument. Joao Maria Pires is sublime but Uchida is much younger and I feel she is growing up so fast but without frenzy. She has selected a fundamental repertoire and I really expect for her a colossal and convincing Schumann and also expect for her Bach. Think in the Goldberg Variations, for instance.

You have to recognize the enormous difficult to any serious keyboard player to play this Schubert's Sonata and win with that performance. And even if Uchida didn't reach the peak of Richter or Schnabel, for instance, I guess the time, and the expected maturity to play this work, that easily you may consider one of the five Giants pieces in all the pianistic repertoire. But Uchida surely must have read this famous Faustus' statement: I love whose who pretend the impossible!

My best wishes for Mrs. Uchida who may be considered from now a piano legend.

Caresses in the dark.......2004-11-15

So large an impact did Uchida make with her Mozart interpretations that I've resisted thinking of her in any other context. [I went to see her play Beethoven in New York City but I was too spellbound by the aura to pay much attention to the music.] But from its first notes, this recording of Schubert's final masterpiece had me holding my breath. It's the most emotionally intimate performance in *any* genre of music that I've ever heard. [The soulful portrait of the artist on the cover is an excellent suggestion of the mood you'll find inside. And the soft-edged recording is superlatively well-suited.] I can see why some listeners might be put off by this - if you're not in the mood for it, that kind of closeness could seem suffocating. But if you'd like to enjoy a very spiritual communion with two great musical artists, this is a once-in-a-lifetime recording.

Schubert: Klaviersonate, D 960; Allegretto D 915; 3 Klavierstücke D 946

Average customer rating:

A great performance of Schubert's greatest sonata

Schubert: Klaviersonate, D 960; Allegretto D 915; 3 Klavierstücke D 946

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E4DI
Release Date: 1990-02-13

Customer Reviews:

A great performance of Schubert's greatest sonata.......2005-09-27

While Schubert's other piano sonatas have taken decades to become popular concert items, his last in B-flat has always held the stage because of its inspired melodies and haunting melancholy mixed with sunshine. Going back to Schnabel there have been excelent performances. Over the years I've enjoyed those by a wide range of pianists: Annie fischer, Clara Haskil, Horowitz, Murray Perahia, Alfred Brendel, and more.

But if restricted to a desert island choice, I would pick Pollini without hesitation. He brings the most perfect balance of virtuosity and insight, and the ease with which he tosses off even the most difficult passagework remains thrilling every time.

Schubert: Klavierstücke; Moments musicaux

Average customer rating:

Schubert: Klavierstücke; Moments musicaux

Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000DNWR
Release Date: 1993-11-09

Schubert: Letzte Sonate; Drei Klavierstücke

Average customer rating:

Schubert: Letzte Sonate; Drei Klavierstücke

Manufacturer: L'empreinte Digitale
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000265C6
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Claudio Arrau: The Final Sessions, Volume 3 (Schubert: 4 Impromptus, 3 Klavierstücke)

Average customer rating:

Claudio Arrau: The Final Sessions, Volume 3 (Schubert: 4 Impromptus, 3 Klavierstücke)

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E4ZY
Release Date: 1993-05-11

Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata, D960/3 Klavierstücke

Average customer rating:

Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata, D960/3 Klavierstücke

Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000034WV
Release Date: 1994-09-27

Tracks:

SON for PNO in B-flat, D960: I. Molto moderato
SON for PNO in B-flat, D960: II. Andante sostenuto
SON for PNO in B-flat, D960: III. Scherzo : Allegro vivace con delicatezza
SON for PNO in B-flat, D960: IV. Allegro, ma non troppo
3 KLAVIERSTUCKE: No.1 : e-flat
3 KLAVIERSTUCKE: No.2 : E-flat
3 KLAVIERSTUCKE: No.3 : C

Schubert: Sonata D850 / Klavierstücke D946

Average customer rating:

Schubert: Sonata D850 / Klavierstücke D946

Manufacturer: Centaur
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000057X0
Release Date: 1995-03-17

Tracks:

Son in D, Op.53/D.850: I. Allegro
Son in D, Op.53/D.850: II. Con Moto
Son in D, Op.53/D.850: III. Scherzo: Allegro Vivace
Son in D, Op.53/D.850: IV. Rondo: Allegro Moderato
Drei Klavierstucke, D.946: I. Allegro Assai; Andante, e flat
Drei Klavierstucke, D.946: II. Allegretto, E flat
Drei Klavierstucke, D.946: III. Allegro, C

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

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