Schubert - Walter Gieseking (1955) Complete Impromptus D.899, 935, 946

D.899
0:00 : 1. Impromptu in C minor
10:42 : 2. Impromptu in E♭ major
14:47 : 3. Impromptu in G♭ major
19:38 : 4. Impromptu in A♭ major
D.935
26:30 : Impromptu in F minor
36:18 : Impromptu in A♭ major
43:34 : Impromptu in B♭ major
55:45 : Impromptu in F minor
3 Klavierstücke, D.946
01:01:44 : 1. Allegro assai
01:10:20 : 2. Allegretto
01:18:14 :3. Allegro

[@doloresdevera433]

A touching music for one of the greatest pianoists of all times

[@victory5392]

The four impromtus, my all time favorites 💙💙💙

[@mattklammer5232]

The unvarnished and directly communicative tone of these interpretations really speaks to me. There may be others that are better produced, recorded and/or edited in post-production as is mentioned in this trail of comments, but few that reach the depth of interpretation that Giesking brings to these pieces in my opinion. I keep coming back to him to look for inspiration for my own playing. Always enjoyable and I discover much on repeated listening.

[@dejanstevanic5408]

Nice. Thanks.

[@MrInterestingthings]

Is there any music Geiseking did not touch? . It will take me a long time just to hear some of the perfection here ! No.1 must have been recorded when he wasn't well. The touch in D.899no.2 is something I've never heard any pianist do -remarkable that light unpedalled something magical between legato almost staccatto but not either . The delicacy here is remarkable .The voicing in no.3 shows aunrivalled controlled but his phrasing seems unsubtle compared to others yet it sounds like 3 different hands!. He recorded complete sets of everyone even Debussy and Ravel . I wonder did he learn Stravinsky or ever hear Messiaen or Boulez .He recorded the Rach 3 before Horowitz! A German pianist !!!I can't believe it . I wish the sound was more sensitive it makes today's pianists sound like magicians .Pires,Uchida ,even Haskil's old studio recordings sound better and yet all the professionals talk about the marvels of his pedaling . The phrasing here seemd right but it does not seem unique like Brendel or Fischer and tonal color in these recordings .His style seems brusque but maybe it's me .Horszowsky's old recordings too seem more communicative in this repertoire .Ingrid Haebler is the Messiah in Mozart in Schubert what she does seems impossible with fingers -most remarkable for a not very big name ! Brendel knew and Szigeti knew and Phillips put her in its universal collection . What she does in the simplest phrase of Mozart sounds impossible and makes the ocean of notes in Ravel and Rach seem merely a finger-arm thing . .