Customer Rating: 
Summary: Super Chamber Music
Comment: As I was listening to this while gardening, I forgot for a moment that I was listening to Schubert, and thought 'My, what good Chopin this is!'. Well, I caught myself and realized my little slip revealed the fact that even though solo piano may not have been Schubert's strongest suit, he still managed to do it as well or better than the great classic Mr. Piano Man himself. This is an excellent bargain package with two CD's for the price of one and a complete set of a major composer's genre. I'm not a student of piano style, but Alfred Brendel seems to realize these in a better than workmanlike fashion. He may not be Murray Perahia, but he's no slouch.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great Schubert, but add some schmaltz please!
Comment: I was greatly disappointed with my reaction to these CDs. There is nothing specific that I can say against the CDs, but....I was completely and totally uninvolved. I tried multiple listening, but it did not help. I was standing outside the music, and was examining it like I would an ant under the microscope. I know it is not my reaction to Schubert's impromptus, simply because I just adored them when I heard them performed by Krystian Zimerman.
The only thing I figured out is that Mr. Brendel was just too elegant and detached here for my taste. To use a metaphor, he was as elegant as a black cocktail dress, while a dress with some frills, colors, lace, and something soft would have been more appropriate here, I felt. In my view, even some schmaltz would be welcome here.
I guess it all depends on how you would be affected by this CD, so I do encourage you to try it!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Brendel displaying his greatness
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: little music
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Passable But Not Brendel At His Best
Comment: Although it is nice to have all of Schubert's impromptus, dances, and his Moments Musicaux on one album at an affordable price, I was somewhat disappointed in Brendel's performance and I want my Perrhia back.
Brendel is primarily a virtuoso with Beethoven but Schubert is definitely not out of his expertise as both composers had a lot in common. I simply was not impressed with this performance at all. Brendel is conervative in his interpretation and just sloppy with a lot of the pieces. Murray Perrhia and Radu Lupu are always better choices for Schubert in my opinion and I will probably get theirs while I put this one in the dungeons of my collection. In addition to the lacklustre performance, the sound quality is not particularly great for this recording. There are simply better choices to look into first before this one.
Although I am an avid fan of Brendel particularly for his Beethoven piano sonatas, I was rather disappointed with his performance here. It is rather reserved in its interpretation of the meter and he gets sloppy with some of the pieces whereas the other performers I have mentioned perform these pieces flawlessly. I wouldn't recommend it as a first choice and find the performance to be a 3.5 more than a flat 3. It's passable but pretty close to average and nothing more.
|
