Schubert Impromptus
Impromptus on period pianos and performances that are worth attention
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Franz Schubert
Label: Zig-Zag Territoires
Magazine Review Date: 8/2010
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 0
Catalogue Number: ZZT100102
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Impromptus, Movement: No. 1 in C minor |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Alexei Lubimov, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Impromptus, Movement: No. 2 in E flat |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Alexei Lubimov, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Impromptus, Movement: No. 3 in G flat |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Alexei Lubimov, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Impromptus, Movement: No. 4 in A flat |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Alexei Lubimov, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Impromptus, Movement: No. 1 in F minor |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Alexei Lubimov, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Impromptus, Movement: No. 2 in A flat |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Alexei Lubimov, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Impromptus, Movement: No. 3 in B flat |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Alexei Lubimov, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Impromptus, Movement: No. 4 in F minor |
Franz Schubert, Composer
Alexei Lubimov, Piano Franz Schubert, Composer |
Author: Jed Distler
Starting with D899, Lubimov’s C minor Impromptu boasts powerful dynamic surging, yet the pianist’s rhythmic licence sometimes trips that thin line between expressive and shapeless. By contrast, subtle pushes and pulls illuminate the melodic arc of the E flat’s pearly scales. Although the soft pedal imparts a haunting, disembodied quality to the G flat, Lubimov’s measured tread yields overly introspective and pallid results. His curvaceous rubatos and accentuations lend interest to the A flat minor, yet get in the way of the narrative flow of D935 No 1.
If you like the way Frank Sinatra shapes a melody ahead of and behind the beat, you’ll find a kindred soul in Lubimov’s phrasing of No 2’s opening section. His choppy dispatch of No 3’s theme gives no clue to the fluid, sharply characterised variations up ahead. Lastly, the closing F minor Impromptu, though well played, seems a shade sedate and held back to convey Schubert’s scherzando directive and lacks the explosive urgency others bring to the music. In sum, Lubimov’s best moments are worthy of attention but collectors seeking a period-instrument Impromptus cycle ought to investigate Lambert Orkis’s solid, steadier release (Virgin) or, best of all, Paul Badura-Skoda’s version (Astrée, 7/85 – nla).
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