Cat No:
COBRA0091
Release Date: 09 February 2024
Label: Cobra
Packaging Type: EcoPak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 8713897905144
Genres: Classical Chamber Music
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Description
Schubert's Impromptus are not without their quirks and curiosities, and Shuann Chai used this recording as an opportunity to delve deeper into them. In doing so she was also introduced to the two delightful Fugues (D 24a and D 24c ) that accompany the impromptus on this album.
Schubert's Impromptus drew Shuann Chai in because they are full of contradictions. An 'impromptu' suggests a piece that's light in character, not too dramatic, not very long - the opposite of, say, a sonata in four movements. While these Impromptus are musically very approachable, they are also powerful, often quite dark, deep, and pianistically challenging. Also, the suggested element of improvisation is interwoven with a feeling of narrative. There are certainly moments of capriciousness or surprising modulations throughout, but the pieces themselves are very formally organized, much more prescribed than what one would expect, say, in a 'fantasy'. What intrigued her was this tension between spontaneity and structure, a paradox which Schubert exploits and expands to great dramatic effect.
This paradox can also be found in the Fugues on this album. Fugues and Impromptus are at first sight to very different forms of music: they are constructed in almost diametrically opposite ways, but artistically speaking, they are two sides of the same coin. Schubert's fugues are searching for the freedom within their strict contrapuntal framework, and his Impromptus are works of imagination and great expression that are grounded by their formal architecture.
Shuann Chai is a soloist and chamber musician who performs on a wide range of early to modern pianos, bringing the emotional content of music from the past to listeners in the present. Recognized by critics as "a graceful virtuoso", she has been praised for performances that are "sensitive and communicative, ...full of warmth an emotion." Recent projects include performances of the complete Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano with Shunske Sato; giving masterclasses at CodArts Rotterdam and the Conservatory of Maastricht; and concerts in Japan, Taiwan, and several festivals in Europe.
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Tracklisting
- 1. Schubert: Four Impromptus D 899, op. 90 No. 1 in C minor: Allegro molto moderato
- 2. No. 2 in E-flat major: Allegro
- 3. No. 3 in G-flat major: Andante
- 4. No. 4 in A-flat major: Allegretto
- 5. Schubert: Fugue in D minor D 24c (1812)
- 6. Schubert: Fugue in C major D 24a (1812)
- 7. Four Impromptus D 935, op. 142 No. 1 in F minor: Allegro moderato
- 8. No. 2 in A-flat major: Allegretto
- 9. No. 3 in B-flat major: Theme (Andante) with variations
- 10. No. 4 in F minor: Allegro scherzando
Disc 1
Side 1
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PRE-ORDER
Left Hand Legacy, Vol.2: Chamber Music Written for P...
Folke Nauta, Lars Wouters van den Oudenweijer, Prisma String Trio
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Extemporize
Shuann Chai
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Modhina - Cordoba; Piazolla; Villa-lobos
Pauline Oostenrijk; Enno Voorhorst
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Left Hand Legacy, Vol.1: Chamber Music written for P...
Folke Nauta, Lars Wouters van den Oudenweijer, Prisma String Trio
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840: Satie, Poulenc, Andriessen, Francaix
Enno Voorhorst
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La Guitaromanie
Izhar Elias
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DUO
Nuala McKenna, Robert Kulek
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Of Ancient Days
Trevor Grahl, Francesca Ajossa
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Jean-Joseph Mouret: Musicien des Graces
Ensemble La Francais
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Rachmaninoff: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2; Romances Opp. ...
Christoph Croise; Andrey Baranov; Alexander Panfilov
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J.N. Hummel: Complete Piano Trios
Trio Parnassus
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Serenade for Clarinet & Strings: Krenek, Gal, Pender...
Kilian Herold, Barbara Buntrock, Florian Donderer, Tanja Tetzlaff
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Beethoven: Early String Quartets
Narratio Quartet
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Impressions
Beau Soir Trio
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PRE-ORDER
Brahms: The Cello Sonatas
Martin Rummel, Stefan Stroissnig
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PRE-ORDER
Withered Flowers - Works for Pan Flute & Piano
Hanspeter Oggier; Marina Vasilyeva
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