Schubert – 4 Impromptus, D. 899 / Op. 90 (Maria João Pires)

00:00 – No. 1 in C minor, Allegro molto moderato
 11:05  – No. 2 in E-flat major, Allegro
 15:50 –  No. 3 in G-flat major, Andante
 21:40 –  No. 4 in A-flat major, Allegretto

Piano:  Maria João Pires, 1996
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Franz Schubert‘s Impromptus are a series of eight pieces for solo piano composed in 1827. They were published in two sets of four impromptus each: the first set was published in the composer’s lifetime as Op. 90, and the second set was published posthumously as Op. posth. 142. They are now catalogued as D. 899 and D. 935 respectively. They are considered to be among the most important examples of this popular early 19th-century genre.^[1]

Three other unnamed piano compositions (D. 946), written in May 1828, a few months before the composer’s death, are alternatively indicated as Impromptus orKlavierstücke (“piano pieces”).

The Impromptus are often considered companion pieces to the Six moments musicaux, and they are often recorded and published together.

It has been said that Schubert was deeply influenced in writing these pieces by the Impromptus, Op. 7 (1822) of Jan Václav Voříšek and by the music of Voříšek’s teacherVáclav Tomášek.^[2][3]

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Zimerman plays Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 No. 1

Zimerman plays Schubert

Franz Schubert‘s Impromptus, Opp. 90 and 142 (posth.), are a series of pieces for solo piano composed in 1827 and first published during the composer‘s lifetime (or shortly thereafter) under that name. There are eight such Impromptus in total.

Three other unnamed piano compositions, written in May 1828, a few months before the composer’s death, are alternatively indicated as Impromptus or Klavierstücke (“piano pieces”).

The Impromptus are often considered companion pieces to the Six moments musicaux, and they are often recorded and published together.

It has been said that Schubert was deeply influenced in writing these pieces by the Impromptus, Op. 7, of Jan Václav Voříšek (1822) and by the music of Voříšek’s teacher Václav Tomášek.^[1][2]
Biography

Zimerman was born in Zabrze, Poland, and studied at the University of Music in Katowice under Andrzej Jasiński. His career was launched when he won the 1975 Warsaw International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition. He performed with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan in 1976 and he made his debut in the United States with the New York Philharmonic in 1979. He has toured widely and made a number of recordings. Since 1996 he has taught piano at the Academy of Music in Basel, Switzerland.

Zimerman is best known for his interpretations of Romantic music, but has performed a wide variety of classical pieces as well. He has also been a supporter of contemporary music. For example, Witold Lutosławski wrote his piano concerto for Zimerman, who later recorded it. Amongst his best-known recordings are the piano concerti of Edvard Grieg and Robert Schumann with conductor Herbert von Karajan; the Brahms concerti with Leonard Bernstein, the piano concerti of Frédéric Chopin, one recording conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini and a later one conducted by himself at the keyboard; the Third, Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos of Beethoven under Bernstein (Zimerman himself led the accompaniment of the Vienna Philharmonic from the keyboard in Beethoven’s First and Second Concertos); the first and second piano concerti of Rachmaninoff; the piano concerti of Franz Liszt with Seiji Ozawa, the piano concerti of Maurice Ravel with Pierre Boulez, and solo piano works by Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy and Franz Schubert.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krystian_Zimerman)