6 Moments Musicaux, Op. 94, D. 780
4 Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899
2 Scherzos, D. 593
Minuet in C-Sharp Minor, D. 600

I've known Sergei Kvitko for about eight years now. Mind you not personally, but as the owner, recording engineer and producer of Blue Griffin Records, a highly individual classical music label. Since I reviewed a handful of this label's offerings, he and I had a chance to communicate. Only later did I find out that he's also an accomplished pianist.

There's a highly natural ebb and flow to Kvitko's playing which suits Schubert's subtle modal alterations to repeated melodic patterns very well. Even within his famous Impromptus, which as the title implies should sound spontaneous and improvised but actually don't because of Schubert's tendency for repetition over exploration, it's these shifts of mode and mood aided along by Kvitko's intelligent use of rubato that bring out their uncontrived character. Especially within the famous Impromptu No. 4 in A-flat major, his inclusion of ever-so-slight pauses between phrases emphasizes their emotive differences.

Don't be fooled by the CD's "Schubert by Candlelight" title. This is nowhere near the dreamy or flowery presentation that title implies. To create an intimate mood, this live recital in Madrid used only candlelight to light the stage, which would have been exactly the case when Schubert himself performed these pieces back in the early years of the 19th century.