Schubert - Piano Sonatas D.958,959,960 - Brendel (dvd)
Schubert - Piano Sonatas D.958,959,960 - Brendel (dvd)
Classical | DVD | NTSC 4:3 | covers | DVD´s FULL No compression | 4.1 Gb (DVD5)
Audio: PCM Stereo | 105m | Relesase: 2006 | Label: Philips
It's not just any Schubert, it's the last three Piano Sonatas from his last year alive, written amongst an extraordinary outpouring of late, even last-minute masterpieces. Schubert conceived the Sonatas as a set, and the notes make the case for a strong link with the Winterreise song-cycle that preceded them, not just for the thematic, rhythmic and harmonic links between the movements of each sonata, but also the idea that each piece is in some way inhabiting the persona of the lonely, alienated wanderer of Winterreise. It's an attractive idea, particularly when you consider the three great slow movements and their melancholy magic.
There've been great recordings of all three Sonatas, but one of the key qualities in Brendel's readings is his ability almost to remove himself from the equation. You might perhaps pick up Pollini's fabulous recordings of D.958 and 959 to hear Pollini, or Richter's extraordinary D.960 to hear Richter. You'll pick up Brendel to hear Schubert, and I promise you there's no lack of passion or emotional depth here, despite Brendel's relatively understated approach when compared to the titanic recordings I've just mentioned. There's a softly-spoken integrity here, closer perhaps to Mitsuko Uchida's humanity than Brendel's intellectual rigour, and of course that aristocratic touch and beauty of tone that dignifies every page. Brendel even makes room for wistful humour in the Scherzo of D.959, which is sometimes beaten to death by less sensitive souls.
The recording is similarly refined, intimate enough but never in-your-face, and delicately resonant, adding lustre to the gentle glow Brendel places around Schubert's sorrowful songs. And don't forget that analogy with Winterreise: maybe Brendel's Schubert Sonatas work so well because he hears the voices, and as a pianist he's simply one of the best singers.
Schubert - Piano Sonatas D.958,959,960 - Brendel (dvd)
Schubert - Piano Sonatas D.958,959,960 - Brendel (dvd)
Franz Schubert (1797-1827)
Piano Sonata No.19 in C minor, D.958
1. Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Menuetto
4. Allegro
Piano Sonata No.20 in A major, D.959
1. Allegro
2. Andantino
3. Scherzo
4. Rondo
Piano Sonata No.21 in B flat major, D.960
1. Molto moderato
2. Andante sostenuto
3. Scherzo
4. Allegro, ma non troppo
Alfred Brendel, piano
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