Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D958

“…Imogen Cooper is second to none in Schubert. The sound she so carefully makes is a glorious companion throughout, casting radiance on the first two Moments musicaux, the spellbinding last of the four impromptus, and even a rare moment of transcendence in the otherwise straightforward if well sprung German Dances. ...she finds her own independent way with the opening of the C minor Sonata, strong and surprisingly buoyant with lovely staccatos and later magical enharmonic transformations. The tour de force of the final tarantella, following on the heels of the elusive minuet, never palls in its mercurial variety, and the slip into B major is a glimpse into a strange new world, a little touch of heaven.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2010 *****

“These two CDs contain some of the most wonderful Schubert-playing I have ever heard. …one thing Cooper can do is make the piano sing… Colours are gracefully shaded, dynamics are artfully controlled and contained; there are no intrusive idiosyncrasies... to detract from the enchantment. ...there is throughout a serenity and poise to the playing which is pure balm for the soul. Here is a great artist of taste and integrity.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2010

“the piano could not be more naturally captured, nor the feeling of live music-making conveyed to the listener. She displays a very special feeling for the composer's lyricism, and the warm colouring and fine shading of timbre are as pleasing to the ear as the many subtle nuances of phrasing, and her bold sonority at higher dynamic levels is particularly satisfying.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“Every note amply justifies Cooper’s Schubertian credentials. She maintains perfect balance between intellect and emotion, tuning into what the Germans call Sehnsucht — a kind of longing — and subtly delineating shades of light and dark...Outstanding.” Sunday Times, 22nd November 2009 ****

“This recording (from Vanguard Classics) captures most of what makes Brendel's Schubert so special: an awareness of the composer's other-worldly dimensions that haunt as if from beyond the grave.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2009 *****

“Even now, when the greatness of Schubert’s mature piano sonatas is unchallenged, the C minor is, for some reason, neglected, at least when compared with the other two sonatas composed in the final year of his life. Yet it is fully their equal, as Paul Lewis’s passionate performance movingly reminds us. He might have found a leaner texture for the first movement’s spectral coda, though I am loath to cavil at playing so fine and so responsive to the wealth of invention — playing at once spacious and implacably rhythmic. His account of the enigmatic A minor is no less masterly.” Sunday Times, 20th July 2008 ****

“This is a welcome separating of Andsnes's last Schubert sonatas from their couplings with Bostridge's way with some Lieder. These are noble accounts, but limited in an intensely competitive field.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2008 ***

“Perahia offers deep insights into all three works” BBC Music Magazine, January 2009

“You'll pick up Perahia to hear Schubert, and I promise you there's no lack of passion or emotional depth here, despite Perahia's relatively understated approach...There's a softly-spoken integrity here...as a pianist he's simply one of the best singers.” Andrew McGregor, bbc.co.uk, 1st July 2003