Schubert, Vol. 2

Featuring

Denis Pascal
Franz Schubert

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Performer Biography

Denis Pascal, the pianist on this album, is known for his unconventional approach to the piano repertoire and his dedication to less familiar composers.

Composer Biography

Franz Schubert, despite writing 130 pieces for piano, never owned a piano himself due to frequent moves and financial difficulties.

Compositional Technique

Musicologist Alfred Brendel called it "almost miraculous" that Schubert, not a piano virtuoso himself, had such an instinct for the future possibilities of piano sound and writing.

Composer Biography

Schubert composed most of his thousand compositions in just fifteen years before his death at age 31, and many were not widely known during his lifetime.

Composition History

The title "Impromptu" for Schubert's D. 899 and D. 935 works was not chosen by the composer, but by his publisher Tobias Haslinger, likely due to the success of Czech composer Jan Václav Voříšek's impromptus.

Critical Reception

Schubert's Impromptus were initially rejected by publisher Schott for being "too difficult for bagatelles" and were only published ten years after his death.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in September 2016 at the Lutheran Protestant Church of Bon-Secours in Paris, using a Steinway & Sons piano prepared by Michael Bargues.