John Damgaard plays Schubert

Franz Schubert
Six Moments Musicaux, D 780 (1823 – 28)
1. Moderato, C Major
2. Andantino, A flat Major
3. Allegro moderato, F Minor
4. Moderato, C sharp Minor
5. Allegro vivace, F minor
6. Allegretto, A flat Major

Two Scherzi, D 593 (1817)
7. Allegretto, B flat Major
8. Allegro moderato, D flat Major

Three Piano Pieces D 946 (1828)
9. Allegro assai, E flat Minor
10. Allegretto, E flat Major
11. Allegro, C Major

Franz Schubert © John Damgaard
Franz Schubert’s Moments Musicaux was published in 1828 but partly written in previous years. After Beethoven’s monumental 32 sonatas there were no longer a desire from publishers’
point of view to print “sonatas”, and as a result composers tried to find alternative titles to shorter pieces such as Impromptus, Nocturnes etc. Probably the second set of Schubert’s
Impromptus were intended as a sonata (at least according to Schumann), but after protests from the publisher ended up as 4 Impromptus.
In the case of Schubert this was in a way an advantage. For although some of his sonatas are among the best music ever written, they were a result of a big struggle to try to live up to Beethoven. But for him it was the most natural thing in this world to put anything he experienced into music – water flowing, hunting scenes, galloping horses, thunder and more than anything else the best thing he knew – walking. Actually, it is important for any musician approaching Schubert in terms of tempi to take into consideration that there is almost always an element of “walking”. This ability is of course the reason for the enormous number of songs – more than 600! “Give Schubert a menu card – and he will put it into music”!
If one visits the apartment of his brother in Vienna, where he died, there is on the wall a note from Notarius Publicus listing the items Schubert left, when he died according to value. The most valuable items on top were a lot of walking boots, hats and sticks, and at the bottom without any special value “some musical items”! His compositions!
The Moments Musicaux are easily overlooked. Small, not too difficult pieces. But any genuine musician, who start working with them, will experience that they evolve as small emotional jewels with reference to everyday life from the post horn entrada (the first) over the horse wagon (no 3) to the folk dance (middle section of no 4) ….and above all the quality of any great music: “You never get tired of them”!
Three Piano Pieces from 1828 are more complex in the sense that they can be seen as a unit and at the same time three individual pieces. Johannes Brahms must have been convinced, that they were separate pieces, as he 40 years later printed them in 3 different settings. Maybe intended to be 4 Impromptus? Today it seems, that most people tend to view them as a unit, as they are almost always performed together. – A sonata…and not a sonata! A unique invention without a name. Anyhow they were among the last pieces he would ever write in his short life
The first piece in E-flat minor consists of two very contrasting sections – a highly dramatic first part and a lyrical second part – and then a repetition of the first section. Almost an oldfashioned
sonata form. The second piece in E-flat major is an extreme lyrical Rondo with nature hints in various ways. The third piece in C-major is very syncopated and energetic, probably inspired by Czech music. The middle section is characterised by its surprising modulations and an almost hypnotic monotony interrupted by three thunder shocks with echoes. You feel the acoustics of the Alpine mountains.
The 2 Scherzi D 593 both are from 1817 – the time where he was working with the sonata form. He left 10 unfinished sonatas on his path to perfection. These 2 charming movements could easily have been used in a sonata.

RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 2024

CATALOGUE NUMBER: DACOCD 980

EAN: 5709499980002