F. Schubert | 4 impromptus op. 90, n. 1 (1827)
 
Composed at the age of 30, one year before his untimely death, the 4 impromptus op. 90 are among Schubert’s most appreciated legacy, despite their apparent simplicity initially received a lukewarm public reception. Much harder to play than they seem, Schubert’s impromptus are intimate pages of romantic extemporaneous creativity, where simple musical ideas are articulated and resolved in free-standing pieces rich of imaginative power and melodic intensity. The first impromptu is a masterpiece of simplicity and creative synthesis. All the piece is built upon a single melodic theme that is introduced at the very beginning and developed throughout the piece together with a single rhythmic baseline of triplets, which both evolve, interwind and empower each other with a sublime effect of mellowness and desolation.