Schubert - Piano Works Vols 8 & 9 CD reviews – a sparkling finale

The Guardian 80

Paul Berkowitz (piano)
(Meridian)

This release marks the culmination of a 30-year project by the Canadian pianist Paul Berkowitz and Meridian to record a full cycle of Schubert’s piano works. Berkowitz closes with the Op 90 and Op 142 Impromptus (Vol 8) and Moments musicaux, Op 94, the Grazer Fantasie and three Klavierstücke (Vol 9). The surprisingly clipped nature of the opening Impromptu is a statement of intent: this deeply experienced pianist and teacher has plenty of new things to say about these familiar pieces. A sparkling technique allied to a clear sense of line make these recordings particularly special. He returns to St John’s Smith Square, London on 9 November to play Schubert’s final three sonatas – the very pieces with which he began his odyssey in 1987.