Schubert: Moments Musicaux, D780: No. 3 in F minor

The performance of the Impromptus, D.899, heard here, confirms Curzon’s place as one of the great Schubert players of his generation. Indeed, the audience was so impressed that they couldn’t help applauding between each Impromptu. Not only does Curzon manage to play with a range of emotion, from limpid tenderness to controlled aggression, but his attention to the sound he produces from the piano never fails to impress. This was one of Curzon’s most salient attributes; for him the sound he made at the keyboard was paramount and it is his combination of cerebral interpretation, no doubt acquired in part from two years study with Artur Schnabel, coupled with his acute attention to sound, that made Curzon such a unique pianist.

Listening to the first Impromptu one can hear that it is not just the beauty of sound that Curzon is concerned with, but the balance between the hands, parts and voices, and the way the harmony of the left hand supports Schubert’s glorious melodies. Indeed, it is good to have Curzon in a live performance of this work as, although he recorded a short studio recital of works by Liszt and Schubert for the BBC in December 1961, he omitted the first and most substantial Impromptu playing only the last three.

One of the highlights of the 1961 Edinburgh Festival was Curzon’s performance of Mozart’s last Piano Concerto, K.595 in B flat. He later travelled to London to perform the work again at the Proms and it is this performance that is heard on this CD.

Curzon is supported by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Sir Adrian Boult, who had not appeared at the Proms since 1958. The orchestral playing is at once smooth and elegant with string and wind playing beautifully shaped and phrased by the conductor, matching Curzon’s style to perfection.

Alexandre Tharaud, who appears in Amour (Love), the film by Michael Haneke that won the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, plays works from the soundtrack: Schubert, Beethoven and Bach-Busoni.

Amour, the latest film by Austrian director Michael Haneke, won the supreme prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, the Palme d’Or. It tells the story of an elderly Parisian couple, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva. They are both distinguished music teachers and their star pupil, a pianist, is played by none other than Alexandre Tharaud, making his movie debut. He performs music by Schubert, Beethoven and Bach (arranged by Busoni) and this CD complements the soundtrack items with further pieces by Schubert and Beethoven.

Michael Haneke’s previous films include The Piano Teacher (which, like Amour features leading French actress Isabelle Huppert). The Guardian described Amour as “a moving, terrifying and uncompromising drama of extraordinary intimacy and intelligence ... This is film-making at the highest pitch of intelligence and insight. Haneke's mastery and supremacy have resounded here in Cannes like an orchestral chord.”

Hanne Deniere writes about the works on this CD: “I started by searching for beauties in music. It is obvious that I ended up with Bach, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. I appreciate the great composers a lot, but of course I couldn’t integrate them all. I completed the programme with four of my own works, one of them especially composed for Hommages.”