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Imogen Cooper | Heart and Soul | Schubert - Complete Impromptus
Imogen Cooper brings a lifetime's mastery to Schubert's complete Impromptus. A rare chance to hear these intimate masterworks performed
Part of the Kettner Concerts in London - 2026 Series
Add to my Calendar 09-01-2026 19:00 09-01-2026 21:00 36 Imogen Cooper | Heart and Soul | Schubert - Complete Impromptus "A true poet of the piano, Imogen Cooper allows her instrument to express her innermost thoughts." (Wigmore Hall programme) Schubert, famed for transforming poetry into divine melodies,did not invent the concept of the Impromptu. Free-form, improvised music had been around for centuries. Such compositions were called Fantasias. As a pioneer of the Romantic Movement, which valued spontaneous emotional expression above all else, Schubert called these (carefully crafted) improvisations Impromptus. His genius was the ability to write haunting music for the piano that encapsulates all human feelings from hope and joy to pain and despair. His Impromptus were not taken seriously in his lifetime but they inspired Chopin and Liszt and the Impromptu as a genre became a significant part of the 19th century solo piano repertoire. The Austrian composer and music publisher Anton Diabelli who had an ear for good tune became the first to publish Schubert's work. After the composer's death Diabelli bought most of Schubert's massive collection of unpublished works from his brother Ferdinand Schubert, and systematically released them onto the market little by little over 30 years, claiming that each one was a newly discovered masterpiece. Schubert had composed all the Impromptus in 1827 but only 1, and 2 of Op. 90 were published in his lifetime. All four of Schubert's Op. 142 Impromptus were published in 1839, but Diabelli did not publish Impromptus 3, and 4 of Op. 90 until 1857. National Liberal Club, London DD/MM/YYYYDetails
National Liberal Club
1 Whitehall Place
Westminster
London
SW1A 2HE
England
Tickets
Prices: £30 (£10 for Students and Under 30s)
Book Tickets
Programme
Franz Schubert – Four Impromptus, D.899
~ Interval ~
Franz Schubert – Four Impromptus, D.935
Performers
Imogen Cooper – piano
Programme Note
"A true poet of the piano, Imogen Cooper allows her instrument to express her innermost thoughts." (Wigmore Hall programme)
Schubert, famed for transforming poetry into divine melodies,did not invent the concept of the Impromptu. Free-form, improvised music had been around for centuries. Such compositions were called Fantasias. As a pioneer of the Romantic Movement, which valued spontaneous emotional expression above all else, Schubert called these (carefully crafted) improvisations Impromptus. His genius was the ability to write haunting music for the piano that encapsulates all human feelings from hope and joy to pain and despair. His Impromptus were not taken seriously in his lifetime but they inspired Chopin and Liszt and the Impromptu as a genre became a significant part of the 19th century solo piano repertoire.
The Austrian composer and music publisher Anton Diabelli who had an ear for good tune became the first to publish Schubert's work. After the composer's death Diabelli bought most of Schubert's massive collection of unpublished works from his brother Ferdinand Schubert, and systematically released them onto the market little by little over 30 years, claiming that each one was a newly discovered masterpiece. Schubert had composed all the Impromptus in 1827 but only 1, and 2 of Op. 90 were published in his lifetime. All four of Schubert's Op. 142 Impromptus were published in 1839, but Diabelli did not publish Impromptus 3, and 4 of Op. 90 until 1857.
