SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Other Links

Editorial Board

Google Site Search

Internet MusicWeb

Schubert:  Imogen Cooper (piano). Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, Tuesday, 25.11.2008 (CC)


Imogen Cooper has always impressed in Schubert. Five years ago, she played Schubert’s D850 in this same hall (coupling it with Beethoven and Haydn) – here it was again, this time in an all-Schubert setting.

She began with the Drei Klavierstücke, D946. Her sound was full and rich, yet there was a missing depth of utterance that gave the impression of the pianist being removed from the composer. Technically, there was much to admire (superbly controlled tremolandi being a case in point). The Mozartian innocence of the second piece was memorable, but was balanced by a lack of energetic charge to the final piece.

With the advent of the A minor Sonata, D845, Cooper was on firmer ground. There was a dynamism to the first movement (exposition repeat intact) that was most welcome – repeated notes took on an energy of their own. Lines in the “Andante, poco mosso” were of an almost Bachian purity, and Cooper conjured up some simply magical textures via expert pedal technique. Introspection found a home in the Scherzo and Trio, too, before a magnificently varied finale rounded off this memorable account.

Given that the first half of the concert lasted over an hour, and the audience only reassembled at 9pm for a sonata of some 40 minutes plus duration, the announcement of an extra item in the programme came as something of a surprise. Cooper added the delicious set of twelve Ecossaises, D781 (a piece recorded both by herself and by Alfred Brendel). All twelve together last a mere five minutes. One of them appears to rather quaintly imitate yodelling.

Back in 2003, Cooper’s D850 was a triumph. This huge D major Sonata is a fitting choice to close a recital on the grounds of its seeming orchestral pretensions, and, in response to this, Cooper utilised extra pedal during the course of the first movement. She was unwilling, too, to let the tension flag at all and so gave little or no gap between the first two movements. It was, perhaps, the opening of the second movement that held the highlights of the recital, for it was here that Cooper revelled in the harmonic twists and turns. Unfortunately, there was also the feeling that Cooper allowed the music to become too volatile too quickly; the finale seemed to miscalculate rubato, which became quite indulgent at times. Nevertheless, the close was of the utmost beauty. Cooper remains incapable of producing an ugly sound.

Incidentally, the recital was recorded by Avie. When Cooper returns to the International Piano Series in April next year, we are promised that discs of this recital will be available.

Colin Clarke


^{Back to Top                                                    Cumulative Index Page}