Schubert by Candlelight: Live in Madrid (CD Review)

by Karl Nehring

Schubert: 6 Moments musicaux, Op. 94 (D. 780); 4 Impromptus, Op. 90 (D. 899); 2 Scherzi (D. 593); Minuet in C-sharp minor (D. 600). Sergei Kvitko, piano. Reference Recordings FR-753

Russian-born pianist Sergei Kvitko writes in the notes to this release of playing this music in several cities throughout the world, with those concerts being recorded as he was preparing to make a studio recording of this music. “And somehow, on April 7, 2022, for this concert in Madrid the stars aligned, and this live performance became the album. The most spectacular piano, Steinway D…the lovely room, my friends in the audience, my mood and feel for this music that evening – everything was just right, and I felt I could never replicate all of it together in the studio. With this program, like with no other, I realize that I play completely different when I play it for an audience.”  And by the way, it might be a good time to mention that not only is Kvitko a world-class pianist, he is also a world-class recording engineer, and it was he who had set up the microphones and recording equipment for this release along with  assistant audio engineer Jorge Nuñez Colell. 

Bill Heck and I had a conversation recently about the Beethoven piano sonatas in which we both admitted that although we enjoyed many of his earlier sonatas, it was to the later ones – especially the final three – that we usually turned when we wanted to listen to Beethoven piano music, and that it was much the same for Schubert. Those final three Schubert sonatas are what we nearly always turn to when we want to hear some Shubert piano music. But Schubert wrote plenty of other delightful works for the piano, as Kvitko reminds us with the program he has assembled for this release, leading off with the 6 Moments Musicaux, Op. 94, which vary in substance and mood from fairly serious-sounding, foreshadowing themes to be developed at greater length in those final sonatas, to music of less emotional intensity. The 4 Impromptus that follow are of similar variety, although perhaps more serious-sounding overall. Kvitko closes the program with lighter fare, 2 Scherzi, before closing the concert by performing an early (1813) Minuet as a brief encore, to the obvious delight of the assembled audience.

One of the treasures of my collection is a recording of Schubert’s Impromptus by Murray Perahia, a recording that was first released back in 1984, although I did not pick it up until many years after. That disc contains both the Op. 90 and Op. 135 sets; it is a marvel. But so is this new release from Kvitko, with its more varied program, warmer sound (not that there is anything wrong with the Perahia recording, which is surprisingly good for a relatively early digital effort). This new Reference Recordings release has definitely earned itself a spot on my shelf; indeed, I would recommend fans of Schubert’s keyboard music to seek it out expeditiously.