Author, poet, lecturer, but above all, magnificent pianist, Alfred Brendel is a true modern-day polymath. He spent much of his long career exploring, and re-exploring, the great Austro-German piano repertoire. Having been celebrated for his intellectually probing but always deeply poetic pianism, he retired from public performance in 2008 after a career that saw him become a regular in all the great concert halls of the world (he played at Carnegie Hall 81 times). Along with that of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms, Schubert’s music sat at the centre of his repertoire. Recorded in London and Salzburg in the early ’70s, this collection of works by Schubert is essential listening for fans and newcomers alike, demonstrating Brendel’s wonderfully natural way with the composer’s shorter solo piano works. Every one of these gems sings out under the fingers of such a master pianist.