Franz Schubert - A Moment in Time (Christian Blackshaw)

Information

• 4 Impromptus, D. 899
• Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, D. 960

Christian Blackshaw, piano

Date: 2026

Label: PentaTone

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Pianist Christian Blackshaw presents A Moment in Time, an intimate recording devoted to the late piano masterpieces of Franz Schubert. The album features the Four Impromptus, D. 899 (1827), in which Schubert elevates the genre into a harmonically unified cycle of remarkable expressive range, moving from dramatic urgency to lyrical serenity and ultimate triumph. Also included is the Sonata No. 21 in B-flat Major, D. 960 (1828), one of the composer’s final works, whose expansive movements traverse hope, introspection, and quiet resolution. Blackshaw’s interpretations offer both a profound engagement with Schubert’s genius and a deeply personal artistic statement.

Christian Blackshaw (born 1949, Cheshire) is widely admired for performances of profound emotional insight and refined musicianship. Educated at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, he later became the first British pianist to study at the Leningrad Conservatoire with Moisei Halfin and worked closely with Sir Clifford Curzon. He has appeared internationally with conductors including Sir Simon Rattle and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and founded the Hellensmusic Festival. His acclaimed complete Mozart sonata cycle at Wigmore Hall received major critical honors, and he was appointed MBE in 2019 for services to music.