How Schubert went full Beethoven

Schubert's Op.90 No.4 might perhaps be one of the more neglected pieces in the set, especially since it comes right after everyone's beloved Gb major impromptu. Yet, the innovative, continuous invention in the outer sections and this stormy passionate middle section make for one of Schubert's most charming character pieces. The choice of thick, pulsating chords in the accompaniment is certainly one that influenced many Romantic composers to come. One would only have to think of Liszt's B minor sonata or Schumann's Widmung to find a similar pianistic texture. (though in both cases, to quite different effects!) Unsurprisingly, Beethoven himself had already used a similar texture in the slow movement of his op.110 or even in his Pathétique though it seems that for the most part, he preferred the Alberti bass accompaniment in the lower registers for a similar effect. As for the rest of Beethoven's influence on Schubert, one doesn't have to look too far in terms of the overwhelming pathos and the incessant use of a tiny motivic cell - the interval of a second.

Recording (Zimmerman):    • Krystian Zimerman plays Franz Schuber...