Canter Bridge

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.