The gentle, conversational way in which Maria João Pires launches the A minor Sonata D845 immediately identifies a pianist with a deep understanding of Schubert’s music and its spectrum of expression.

Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires has always been admirably keen to break down the traditional formats of classical concerts. Whether she fully succeeds is, however, open to dispute. This particular ...

Hailing from Portugal, Maria João Pires is one of the world's most accomplished pianists, in demand as a concert performer and award-winning recording artist. Born in Lisbon on 23 July 1944, Maria ...

Look out for Schubert's Impromptu No. 3, which contains a nod to one of the world's most famous pop songs... Just after he wrote Fly Me to the Moon, Schubert wrote his Impromptu No. 3. Absolute ...

When Murray Perahia gave a concert this year in Portland, Oregon, he saved a couple of Impromptus until the official program was over. Here's Perahia, on stage, playing his first encore — Schubert's ...

The term "impromptu" suggests that a piece has a casual, offhand quality—perhaps that it's even being improvised on the spot. Sometimes, though, it's just a handy term for a short, stand-alone piece ...