The Schubert Impromptus have been my favorites for many years. I have listened to this music as performed by many different artists. I like some, and I do not like others.
Today I heard Mitsuko Uchida perform the #1 and the #3. And the #3 was totally spectacular!!
Schubert composed the Impromptu No. 3, part of a set of 4 Impromptus, in the two-year period before he died in 1828. He had found tremendous success in the popularity of his short works and his Lieder. However, he surely felt the sorrow of putting so much of his energy into longer works—operas for which he could never find a publisher, patron or venue to champion, which had been his lifelong wish.
Schubert’s health was poor, and he struggled with depression.
I hear the sadness, the loneliness, and the tragedy of Schubert’s life in these Impromptus, and particularly the #3.
