An impromptu is a classical piece that's "reminiscent of improvisation". Today I heard four impromptus on piano. It's probably not easy to think of an orchestra improvising, but I've described the piano as "an orchestra in a box" but that's probably because I'm a bassist and we play low and mostly single notes. The multiple fingers and 8 octaves and 88 accessible keys on a piano seem like all and everything to me. Perhaps guitarists would think differently: they only have 6 strings but they can form chords, play associated bass line and melodies, mostly at the same time. Today was Mark Jurkiewicz playing four Schubert Impromptus. The program put it best; I won't even try. "The first Impromptu in C minor blends elements of sonata, variation, and through-composed structures. The second impromptu in Eb major is a swift moto perpetuo with a ternary design. The third impromptu is a flowing and meditative piece in Gb major, charaterized by long melodic lines and unbroken triadic accompaniments. The fourth and final impromptu, in Ab major, starts in Ab minor and is characterized by cascading arpeggios and a chordal response." Nicely put even if I prefer British spelling. Suffice to say that Mark was trained at the Chopin Academy in Warsaw so is close to the sources of such music. And played from memory with intense presence and interpretation. Always so good to hear another concert from Mark.
Mark Jurkiewicz (piano) performed Franz Schubert Four impromptus D.899 op.90 at Wesley.
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