Schubert: The Complete Impromptus – Sebastiano Brusco

Few pieces in the piano repertoire have had a fate similar to that of Franz Schubert’s “Impromptus” op. 90 (D899) and op. 142 (D935). Just two of them were published during the composer’s short lifetime; even their title and concept are disputed, and are still the object of musical and musicological controversy nearly two centuries after their composition; few other pieces have been both loved and massacred by countless amateurs, and have represented a continuing challenge for the greatest piano soloists worldwide. Indeed, Franz Schubert was certainly a pianist, but by no means a soloist. While most composers of his time were (possibly first and foremost) piano virtuosos (more rarely they could have achieved fame as virtuoso players of other instruments), he did play most of his own works, but in the more intimate setting of a circle of friends, who could appreciate and love the particular beauty of his music. His piano works were frequently difficult, but almost never showy; the piano was for him more akin to a spiritual journal than to a battlehorse. His works required attention, patience and a disposition to introspection from both listeners and players, and many were simply not interested in a music which demanded such an engagement and promised the applause of connoisseurs only.