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Schubert: Piano Sonatas D. 959 And D. 960 / Hans-Jurg Strub [2 SACDs]
Ars Produktion

Schubert: Piano Sonatas D. 959 And D. 960 / Hans-Jurg Strub [2 SACDs]

$32.99

Details

Composer
SCHUBERT, FRANZ
Artist
Hans-Jurg Strub
Format
SACD
Label
Ars Produktion
Released
Sep 18, 2020
Catalog #
ARS38307
UPC
4260052383070

About

A few weeks before Schubert's death in November 1828, the last two piano sonatas, A major D 959 and B flat major D 960, were written, which together with the C minor Sonata D 958 belong to the "Sonata Triad" - which can probably be called the crowning achievement of his piano work. Schubert's first draft shows how the thirty-one-year-old worked on these works simultaneously; also, the counting of B flat major as Sonata No. 3 is by Schubert's hand. The sonatas are thus cyclically arranged by the composer and have many compositional similarities. Schubert dedicated this triad to his famous contemporary, the virtuoso pianist and Mozart student Johann Nepomuk Hummel. However, it was not published until 1839 - 11 years after Schubert's death, by which time Hummel had already passed away, and so the dedication was transferred to Robert Schumann by the publisher Diabelli & Co. While the Impromptus or Moments musicaux were always very popular, the sonatas led a shadowy existence for a long time. In both sonatas we experience a wealth of different characters and contrasting emotions. The arc of tension leads from the greatest brightness to the deepest darkness, from powerful verve and chromatic turmoil in the Allegro of the A major Sonata to cantabile immersion and tenderness in the Molto moderato of B flat major. In the slow movements - the F minor Andantino in A major as well as the Andante sostenuto in C sharp minor in B flat major - a shattering sadness seizes us - indeed we experience deepest resignation and mental abyss. The wanderer Schubert is drawn to the abysmal.

Tracklist 8 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 I. Allegro 16:46
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    16:46
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Hans-Jürg Strub
  3. 2 II. Andantino 06:53
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Andantino
    Duration
    06:53
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Hans-Jürg Strub
  4. 3 III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace 05:12
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
    Duration
    05:12
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Hans-Jürg Strub
  5. 4 IV. Rondo: Allegretto 11:55
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Rondo: Allegretto
    Duration
    11:55
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Hans-Jürg Strub
  6. Disc 2
  7. 1 I. Molto moderato 21:27
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Molto moderato
    Duration
    21:27
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Hans-Jürg Strub
  8. 2 II. Andante sostenuto 09:38
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Andante sostenuto
    Duration
    09:38
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Hans-Jürg Strub
  9. 3 III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza 03:49
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza
    Duration
    03:49
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Hans-Jürg Strub
  10. 4 IV. Allegro ma non troppo 08:45
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Allegro ma non troppo
    Duration
    08:45
    Composer
    Franz Schubert
    Performer
    Hans-Jürg Strub