[Alfred Brendel] Schubert: Drei Klavierstücke -- D946

[@millertj27]

What CD is this from?

[@tnsnamesoralong]

www.amazon.com/Schubert-Complete-Impromptus-Moments-Musicaux/dp/B0000041MS And the good news is, it exists video-recording too (from television series): kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqjNZZyXlKt3e8U

[@AntonioUras]

But not the same version as the CD (unfortunately)

[@tnsnamesoralong]

@@AntonioUras You should be sure it is absolutely the same version. I have got the CD (behind the url), and I grabbed it by my hands to the audio track of this video.

[@AntonioUras]

@@tnsnamesoralong, I meant that the audio of your video is actually the one of the CD, but the audio of the TV video-recording kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqjNZZyXlKt3e8U is definitely not the same...

[@luiscuypers38]

@@AntonioUras Plus the video and audio are horribly out of sync... which makes it almost unwatchable for me :( Thank god for this score video

[@coaster1000]

Words can't even begin to describe the beauty of Schubert's music.

[@lightmineraider3697]

These pieces are among the last works Schubert wrote. How can they be so playful and blithely, considering his health at that time? Simply outstanding, I love Schubert!

[@calt2898]

because playfulness is also satire.

[@mahanmohammadi2469]

Minute 13:20 onward is the true definition of genius in play. Schubert is a genius. The melody is the best i have heard.

[@williamsutcliffe3505]

My favorite part of the piece!

[@annnlonggg]

The D-flat Major trio section of the third piece is heavenly and triumphant. Schubert knew his time was almost up, but he kept on composing.

[@ketanfernandes4094]

anlongv the parallels between him and Beethoven are truly interesting, especially regarding the ends of their respective lives. The reason why I love composers like Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms is that they composed music that paid tribute to earlier or their contemporary eras, yet also expanded and revolutionised/revitalised music in their own way.

[@ducanhle7869]

one of my good friend recently died from an accident. She was such a sweet soul and supposed to be a pianist one day. Schubert used to be her favorite composer. The more I listen to Schubert, the more I understand her.

[@joshscores3360]

In 1827, Schubert wrote two sets of Impromptus, D. 899 and D. 935, each consisting of four pieces. Both collections have become staples in the keyboard repertory and are recognized as among the composer's greatest piano works. Much less well-known are these three compositions, often referred to in catalogs as the Drei Klavierstücke, which Schubert apparently intended to be part of yet another group of Impromptus. When they were completed, the composer left only tempo markings for titles. Thus, the three are titled as follows: Allegro assai (E flat minor); Allegretto (E flat major); Allegro (C major). What is difficult to explain about these pieces is their almost total neglect by pianists throughout the twentieth and into the twenty-first centuries. Their resultant lack of popularity among the public is hardly puzzling, but the relatively low opinion of them held by many musicologists is equally difficult to account for. Most who examine these works will find they are examples of undeniably high art in the composer's keyboard output. The first two are in the rondo form of ABACA, while in the last, Schubert uses the more standard ternary form of ABA. Some musicologists have regarded the first piece primarily as a Scherzo with two trios. However one views its form, the music itself is rhythmic and lively in its main thematic material, then it turns richly Romantic in the long, slow section. After the return of the opening material, another theme is heard, also slow in contrast to the first subject and somewhat ponderous, too. After a reprise of the main themes, the piece ends. The second item here begins in a serene, subdued mood, with the Allegretto marking sounding more like a Moderato. The theme is lovely, if somewhat wistful. Succeeding sections are lively by contrast, and offer much color and playfulness. Thus, the scheme Schubert uses here is opposite that in the first piece, with the outer sections essentially slow and the inner ones fast or lively. Overall, though, the piece serves the function of a slow movement in the set. The third entry begins with robust good cheer, again the composer offering rhythmic drive and much color. Although the second subject is less driven and somewhat subdued, it is still lively and bright. While this is a well-crafted work, it is probably the least ambitious of the three in terms of individuality and formal complexity. It would be difficult to compare the Drei Klavierstücke with its cousins, the two sets of Impromptus, from 1827. From a purely artistic point of view, however, all three collections can be ranked as major endeavors, with this group of three perhaps a mere rung below the other pair. This collection was first published in 1868, at a time when the rediscovery of Schubert was beginning to take wing, owing to the efforts of English musicologist George Grove, who became a strong advocate of his music beginning in 1856. (AllMusic)

[@germanviola2315]

Ich bin damit einverstanden, ein wunderbares Stück. Solche außergewöhnlichen Gehirn von Herrn Schubert.

[@jonathanhockey9943]

Not heard this piece till today, but it had me captivated from the start. Had to stop all else I was doing and listen! Glad I came across it.

[@titicatfollies6615]

My favorite rendition. He sings and dances; there's drama and beauty. What a joy!

[@wolfgangbraun3071]

Dramatisch, leidenschaftlich, voller Ueberraschungen. Dynamik, Agogik, ein kraftvoller und dennoch kantabler Anschlag - Brendel gewinnt Schubert faszinierende neue Seiten ab. Echt toll!!

[@TheUpturnedKnows]

This and the final piano sonata are my favorite pieces by Schubert, and among my favorite pieces among all composers.

[@Hawkeye156]

Can you point out a good performance of the final piano sonata you mention? Would love to hear one you prefer as I love this one too.

[@thibautadavy]

John Millthorpe Claudio Arrau's is excellent. So is Sviatoslav Richter's, if you can get past how slow he plays the first movement.

[@gmnotyet]

John Millthorpe I love Kovacevich for Sonata 21 but you have to get past his rather heavy breathing. But his playing is *stupendous*.

[@GGCD318]

John Millthorpe Please try Maurizio Pollini

[@cinimod621]

Ich bin total begeistert. Die Stücke gehören ab sofort zu meinen Lieblingsstücken.

[@bostonindian]

13:20 onwards - I could listen to this part all day, every day.

[@erykszadkowski1687]

Same - I've been in love with it for two years. I wonder how it's possible to achieve that beauty with such a simplicity.

[@sati1819]

Very attractive, beatiful, dynamic and sad i feel at this part.

[@titicatfollies6615]

Yes! Brendel sings the line so beautifully it makes me almost weep. When I listen to someone else play it, I hear Brendel's gorgeous rendition instead.

[@chenwang7733]

Same as me!

[@williamsutcliffe3505]

When I play the piece it’s my favorite section!

Spectacular pieces... On the second piece, the bars from 13:27 are just out of this world! A true gift of life to be alive to listen to this!

[@rlimoni4124]

Javier López Arangüena true

[@arlarl7176]

This is really a wonder of music. Because this melody is so remarkably simple and so unique at the same time. Perhaps that is what is so fascinating about Schubert in general: that he actually uses very little, creating a great effect with very simple means.

[@miguswede-2557]

Beautiful…sounds so….Schubert🥰

[@IchiganCS]

@@arlarl7176 I would say that all great composers have this ability.

[@msebulke]

fantastic! What would be the world like without music?! Thanks to F.S. and the uploader! It's a nourisment for the soul.

[@peterluth]

The Everest of romantic music. Semplicemente meraviglioso. Thanks

[@brosephjames]

Crazy how much better Brendel is at these pieces than anyone else.

[@florisende8015]

Try Sokolov. He owns number 2 imo. Really one of the most touching recordings I've ever listened to!

[@AvntXardE]

@Floris Ende, I absolutely love Sokolov's Rameau and Bach but I prefer Brendel's Klavierstücke Nr. 2. Brendel is just the personification of Schubert.

[@matteoepis9010]

I like a lot Pollini too

[@yannitzili8961]

@@florisende8015 Thank you for sharing! I will check it out... do you have a link handy to share?

[@yannitzili8961]

Which performers have you compared him with? I'm a fan of Richter and Zimmerman as well

[@somabanerjee243]

O Schubert, do u have any idea how much I love ur compositions?

[@docpsy49]

I am an Austrian-American and I totally agree with you; Mozart was clearly brilliant but Haydn and Schubert were his equals. Beethoven, on his death bed, was shown a transcription of Schubert's great symphoney the 8th (erroneously now called his Ninth) and after reading the score, said, "this one will become more famous than me", Schubert was a pall bearer at Beethoven's funeral and then ironically died one year later. Its a matter of taste of course but these three composers are among the best

[@DressedForDrowning]

"You make the piano sing", told someone Schubert after his first public concerto. This statement is so true.

[@Oliver154678]

I search around for new piano music but some way I always come back to Schubert. This is my favourite piece.

[@irynazinkiv6965]

0.13-0.32 - this is a historical Ukrainian folk song "Їхав козак на війноньку, прощав свою дівчиноньку" ("A Cossack was going to war...")

[@Hawkeye156]

I found this relatively recently... and fell in love. It's a gem because I absolutely love all three movements.

[@notaire2]

The best mixture of highest technique and innate lyricism.

[@alexmelani5232]

Stupefacente!!!! Pieno di emozioni, di sentimenti! Schubert ha usato una grandissima tecnica ed una grandissima espressività nel scrivere questi pezzo pieno di una quantità di sentimenti,incredibile! Bellissimo

[@ivanmamede]

I think it's favorite from Schubert. I'll learn it someday.

[@PeterFritzWalter]

What a masculine and vibrant Schubert, and a fantastic sound quality. Thanks so much!

[@giuliatognotti75]

poter ascoltar queste bellissime composizioni è veramente un piacere. maria Giulia Tognotti

[@tallbillbassman]

That delightful skip in the bass line in bar 4. A tiny thing but so beautiful, so clever.

[@TheJamesalden]

Oh only Schubert and only Alfred Brendel; no doubt that they must be kindred spirits. It's things like this which remain beyond description, or explanation...Thank You!...

[@BHAKTIBROPHY]

13:29. Exquisitely beautiful. My first foray into Schubert's music. What a gift! Thank you for posting the sheet music. This is all so interesting.

[@germanviola2315]

What a beautiful composition. A privilege to listen to. Schubert was a brilliante man, a composer of nice melodic compositions, and also a composer of suspenseful compositions like his Quartet no. 14 in D Minor "Der Tod und Das Mädchen." A marvelous, yet apprehensive piece of music. :]

[@samye8571]

Thanks for such a wonderful post. A master piece played by a super genius.

[@kedimy]

I came to the video taken from you without your permission first. I read your comment and went to this post. Thank you for sharing this great music. I am a fan of Schubert music and pianist Brendel.

[@xentryst]

I quite agree Brendel is my favorite interpreter of Schubert. I love this one as well as his performance of D.899.I recently found his Mozart work to be equally as enjoyable!

[@dorianrambaudviolon]

C'est tellement beau...je ne puis m'empêcher de me chanter la mélodie dans la thème.

[@MargovandenBerg]

Prachtig spel van Brendel. Ik ben een fan van hem. Hij heeft zo'n mooie aanslag op de piano. Dank voor het delen van dit (voor mij onbekende) werk.

[@jcalli66]

Awesome - thanks for posting. I stumbled upon Schuberts impromptus and Six Moments Musicaux about a year ago and now listen to at least a couple of them everyday..

[@niklakislakis6557]

What I especially like about Brendel,is his wide-open sound and arpeges...for once more he is prooving out to stand amongst the tops!!!

[@KonradRomanSalwa]

Sehr schön, ich mag auch den Klang des Flügels sehr.

[@elijahkalebabalde1527]

03:23:Piano Concerto 1st Mov 04:23:Piano Concerto 2nd Mov 12:5Piano Concerto 3rd Mov

[@MathildeLise9]

I discovered it on the radio & loved it ♥

[@germanviola2315]

Ich stimme zu, setzte er alles auf eine höhere Ebene durch viele seiner Werke. Ich sage, Job gut gemacht.

[@Ben0Bertels]

I hadn't noticed the Appasionata quote at 3:45 untill now.

[@tarikeld11]

Appasionata?

[@-leochutkin4132]

Amazingly modern even after two centuries!

[@HerrMichaelKohlhaas]

This just leaves me speechless. I should practice right now, but I don't want to stop listening to this.

[@TheUpturnedKnows]

I have a much earlier version by Brendel of these amazing pieces--he's playing this on at a significantly faster tempo, I am not sure if I like it as much as the other one.

[@Fomelogo]

i know nothing about piano, but about music i know something. The only thing to say here is THANK YOU FOR THIS AMAZING AUDIO and I LOVE IT

[@jiesheng9283]

I love this piece.And nice performance!!!!

[@gmnotyet]

Fantastic version.

[@Archiekunst]

That's it! I must play this!

[@TheMightyFork_]

Archishman Ghosh don’t.

[@Funtamentalontologe]

Wolfgang Brown hat völlig Recht! Das beste Kommentar, was es hier zu lesen gab! Nice man.

very modern for his time...

[@riesenbarabar1893]

Do you find? Have a look at Beethoven early Sonata 4, its like this.

[@adamswift3197]

I think most modern piano pieces of this style take their queue from Schubert's style. No need to always hold up the great works of the past against modernity and judge them based on how close or near they are.

[@ТаисаЕмельянова]

Merci beaucoup que vous donnez les cahiers de musique!

[@CantOutOusbiTheOusbi]

These pieces are amazing. Enough said.

[@АлександрЯрков-ш2з]

Bravo brilliance music

[@yannitzili8961]

Thank you for sharing this with us... I love ANYTHING Schubert... but this one us impressive!

[@nannymac47]

Well, I will have to search out these performances and add them to my Alfred Brendel collection. Wonderful. Thank you for posting.

[@chimayai]

fabulous work and an equally fabulous performance!

[@michaeljia729]

The best part starts at 0:00 and ends at the end of the video.

[@lilianadibattista9190]

Davvero bello .. io sono sono un'amante del pianoforte ! Da grande farò la pianista ,ormai ho deciso !!

[@sneh95]

Ce lai fatta?

[@friedrich1012]

La segunda pieza es pura Bellinte, gracias a Dios y a Schubert. No hay palabras.

[@rubennouchi719]

Amazing pieces for an amazing performer. Awesome video.

[@rubennouchi719]

The part at 13:29 is just magic

[@Dropkick1704]

Thank you so much for uploading this. I´m watching it again and again

[@Drew8va]

What a fun a beautiful piece! I think I might learn this. =)

[@khool63]

brendel et lipatti sont les maîtres de l'interprétation schubertienne ,, sonate sublime comme toujours chez schubert bien que difficile à jouer contrairement aux apparences

[@huskymcfluff]

Heard this during my morning commute on Atlanta NPR (WABE 90.1). When I parked in the parking deck at work, I actually sat in my car -- entranced -- and listened to the rest of it. Beautiful. Really wonderful composition. Favorite part starts at 13:29, but it was a toss-up between that and the intro itself.

[@elijahkalebabalde1527]

00:00: Piano Concerto In Evening Credits Ending Theme Song

[@dundoderdumme3044]

Yes, that's my opinion too. If you ask most pianist or classical musicians today if Chopin is "better" than Schubert you will hear Yes nearly every time... I think they were totally on the same level!

[@titicatfollies6615]

Gorgeous! Thank you.

[@kellyng2548]

Idk, if anyone feel the same, I will be emotional when I listen to this piece.

[@KegPatcha]

I love Arrau's Beethoven sonatas. I will check his version of the Klavierstucke. Thank you!

[@yannitzili8961]

13:40 - 15:50 - Is out of this world! Question to musicofiles... do you think this piece or any piece would sound different if it was written in a different scale? I notice though that Romantic Era Composers like scales with many flats... is that a tactile choice? or a quality of sound choice?

[@alexanderchater6140]

sometimes I think it's to make something more pianistic. Some passages are much easier to play when its all on black keys. Also, different keys had different meanings, I believe the key of e flat minor was about "darkness" but don't quote me on that!

[@jeffersonkee6440]

I was hoping he would play the andantino that Brahms restored (Schubert cancelled the part with large X's) in the first piece.

[@dankaptyug]

i am going to Connecticut to hear a UCON, university of Connecticut professor play this piece. i overheard him practicing a little while ago, and i think that in some parts he has a better interpretation of this piece. but this version is very good too.

[@matmatthieu5329]

awesome, thanks for posting!

[@4Topwood]

Good luck with that. Schubert was likeable but very much his own person; known for missing appointments, rehearsals and even performances of his music. His was a unique spirit. I wouldn't command him to do anything, just ask him to be.

[@SarahYasmineXO]

It sounds so modern

[@3333528]

interesting conversation though ! I learnt something new today !

This piece is amazing! I just decided to put some Schubert pieces to my program in upcoming season.. Hopefully we are gonna play Arpeggione sonata with my "favourite" cellist, so this pieces will fill greatly in.. And Brendel's interpretation is brilliant. He is not maybe the very very best "technically gifted" pianist, but he compensates this greatly by his brain.. (well.., don't take me wrong, he says this himself in some docu, like a .. "my hands are not good, sorry to say.. So somehow, I must compensate this.." .. :) I like him very much - the real "in-a-healthy-way-mad-genius"

[@TaeminChung]

Incredible 😃😃

[@KegPatcha]

This is the best version. I also have this recording and D946/2 is the track that has the most number of plays on my itunes :). You should put on the title that it is Brendel's version. More people would come to watch.

[@Musicmanmurrell]

That sir, was awesome.

[@ivanmamede]

Schubert's best music ever!!!

[@tnsnamesoralong]

You can see in the description. By the way, Alfred Brendel

[@petrakristofova815]

Perfect version.. :)

[@brantnuttall]

Good, but sadly nowhere near perfect.

[@guillaumequenderff7520]

@@brantnuttall is there someone playing better for you?

[@brantnuttall]

@@guillaumequenderff7520 I can't think off the top of my head. sorry.

[@snowcarriagechengcheng-hun3454]

Thanks for uploading!

[@Lukecash12]

I agree, this is the best performance ever.

[@MrFelixdodd]

Man he really is great

[@cayetanosalvadorramonferro1481]

Amaizing,! Germany gave music to the world

[@ldskts]

If I had the same opportunity for a time travel ,I would command him to complete his many incomplete pieces.

[@friedrich1012]

Brendel magistral.

[@guyled]

I would like to say how much I admire Brendel but am french and my english is just enough. Never mind I'll try. My thoughts regarding to the music we are able to listen to now are about what could think Schubert or other composer supposing listening Brendel playing their music. Because, talking for instance of Schubert, first he was not a virtuose like Brendel, second his piano was not so good than the Brendel's one, third the reproduction of the sound did'nt exist, only the live music was possible with the imperfections of the moment, etc... I imagine Schubert saying, (or not saying ? ) : "he plays MY music !" ...As for me I would like to stand before Brendel once in my life, don't know if I should be able to make him understand why I consider that music without him, or one other of his equals, could'bt be THE music...

[@quinto34]

Guess we are spoiled, living in the epoch of good recordings and youtube ;-)

[@guyled]

Yes we are...

[@toothlesstoe]

No comprendé.

[@TempodiPiano]

Le do mineur de la seconde pièce est électrisant.

[@PietroGaetanoDogoArgentino]

Il primo meraviglioso

[@germanviola2315]

Eine große oder spektakuläre Melodie tatsächlich.

[@phantomguppynmachine]

OK it has fixed itself 2 hours later. Intriguing.

[@chrish12345]

I totally agree that he is a great pianist and an truly admirable person - he does this same staccato thing in the second movement of Beethoven's op.54, again it sounds unfortunate to me.