Schubert & Schönberg: Sonata in A, Suite for Piano

"Ich fuhle luft von anderen planeten". I feel the air of other planets. That is the title of this new disc by the Chilean pianist Alfredo Perl. The line is a quotation from the poem by Stefan George that forms the text for the last movement of Schoenberg's String Quartet No. 2. It is used here to unify the spiritual complexities of Schubert's last three piano sonatas - the second of which is heard on this disc - with the new harmonies, or musical worlds, if you prefer, of Schoenberg's first full-fledged example of dodecaphony-the Suite for Piano Op. 25, also here.

Alfredo Perl is best known for performing the complete cycle of Beethoven piano sonatas in London and several other cities. He also recorded all 32, as well as the cello sonatas. He has made a number of recordings of Romantic repertory and on this disc stretches a little past Romanticism in both directions.

Schubert's last three piano sonatas, Nos. 19-21, or D. 958-960 were written in the last few months of his life, along with a number of other works. They are considered the summit of his piano music, if not of all his works. Certainly, he never wrote more profoundly for the piano than at this time. Critics have famously pointed out the length of the works and some people perhaps do not have the patience for the style of development evidenced here or the overall lengths of the works themselves. Alfredo Perl obviously does not feel this way as he delivers a performance that not only keeps the sonata moving, but also shows the inter-relations between movements.

Perl's interpretation of the d-Major sonata can be described as more poetic than forceful. In the first movement the legato playing is very expressive and he maintains interest throughout. Yet he doesn't lose sight of the overall structure of the movement, bringing it to a close with a beautiful transition to the coda. The slow movement is somewhat reminiscent of the same movement in Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, and Perl doesn't loose a chance to underline this. Again, his strengths are attention to overall structure and poetic feeling, but he doesn't lose sight of the danger of longeurs and keeps complete control of pacing. Perl's sense of pace continues into the scherzo, although I disagree with the way he took the trio. Perl's "structural integrity" also carries over into the last movement ending with an excellent handling of the coda - its tonal summation.

As stated above the Suite for Piano Op. 25 was Schoenberg's first piece entirely written according to his new twelve-tone technique. Indeed the same tone-row is used in all seven movements. Schoenberg illustrates his own idea that Baroque music had twelve-tone elements by casting each movement in an old dance form: gavotte, gigue, etc. Certainly the working out of the tone-tow in this context provides both a framework and a forward impetus that is not shared by some of his later works. Perl seems to realize this making the opening Prelude spiky and driven at the same time. The Gavotte is more pedestrian, with some questionable dynamics. This dynamic problem occurs in several of the Suite's movements and leads to a hazy overall impression, although Perl recovers in the final Gigue. Oehms' recording does not help: it is either over-resonant or muddy; the studio at Radio Bremen is a poor choice of recording venue.

This disc has an impressive Schubert performance, but a very uneven one of the Schoenberg Suite. Those who prefer a more muscular Schubert will probably prefer the recordings by Schnabel or Rudolf Serkin. Alfredo Perl's performance is more in line with those of Mitsuko Uchida or Alfred Brendel, but is imposing in itself. As for the Schoenberg, I'll stick with the old Glenn Gould.

Read more: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Feb06/planeten_schubert_schoenberg_oc550.htm#ixzz23fHZKSsA

Schubert: Symphony No.8 · Bruckner: Symphony No.9

This live performance from Japan’s Takemitsu Memorial Hall constitutes the finest of Günter Wand’s Bruckner Ninth recordings to date. With each new version, Wand seems to be getting closer to some un-guessed and probably unattainable performance ideal. Only his 1998 Berlin Philharmonic recording fails to honor the trend of steady improvement–the orchestra’s smoothly refined playing style there is at odds with Wand’s rougher concept of Brucknerian sound. No such problems arise with the North German Radio Symphony: it’s been playing Bruckner with Wand for so long that the players seem to have absorbed part of the conductor’s nervous system, so that his every musical impulse is instantly communicated.

In this profoundly organic reading, virtually every interpretive gesture carries an air of inevitability. The opening horn call sounds with just the right amount of menace, and the first great climax–the mighty unison theme–completes its thundering arc smoothly but with tremendous power. For Wand, this theme’s dotted rhythm holds the key to the entire movement, and he emphasizes its every appearance by slightly extending the long first note and then stressing the following short ones. Wand also gives special attention to the trombones (as he did in his 1994 NDRSO performance), and it’s almost terrifying to hear them hammer out the dotted rhythm in the coda, where Wand ratchets the tension even higher with dramatic swells on the timpani. The great closing Adagio is where this reading has changed most. More than two minutes shorter than the 1994 account, Wand’s newly flowing tempos portray Bruckner as being passionately engaged with the remainder of his life–listen to the urgency with which Wand renders the development, particularly when the main theme (inverted) is marched about in a Schubertian manner.

Schubert’s Unfinished, which shares this program, also ends with a turbulent but ultimately serene adagio, and there is much in Bruckner’s method that stems from Schubert. Wand emphasizes the low strings (as he did in the Bruckner), and he creates a tremendous sense of expectation at the beginning of the first movement development. Again, there is a sense of inevitability as one passage flows into another, and the orchestra seems to realize Wand’s conception as no other could. This is yet another powerful, captivating performance, reveling in the dark drama of Schubert’s first movement while illuminating the grace of the second. The recorded sound has great impact and dynamic range, though 1994′s Hamburg Music Hall production yielded more acoustic space around the orchestra. The audience is mouse-quiet, perhaps feeling privileged to be in attendance at such a concert–a feeling likely to be shared by interested collectors, for this recording is only available by mail order from Japan. An expensive proposition then, but for Bruckner lovers, every penny will be well spent. --classicstoday.com

Schubert: Complete Works for Violin and Piano Vol. 2

“Characteristic Schubert, played with penetrating subtlety by the two young Germans Fischer and Helmchen...The CD ends with the D940 Fantasia for piano duet, with Fischer partnering in a powerful performance: one moment fiery, the next caressing. And all such heavenly music.” --The Times, 22nd May 2010 ****

“They give a magnificent account of this inspired work [the F major Fantasy]...It's a challenging piece...yet Fischer and Helmchen present as fine as any account on disc...They are a marvellous team, evidently giving each other ideas as they go along.” --BBC Music Magazine, August 2010 *****

Schubert’s complete works for violin and piano consist of three “sonatinas” Op. 137 Nos. 1-3 (D. 384, 385 and 408), Rondo Brillant D. 895, the Duo D. 574, and the amazing late Fantasia in D major D. 934. Because these do not quite fill two CDs, Volume 2 includes the Fantasia in F minor for piano duet, with Julia Fischer taking the second piano part. She’s obviously a tremendously gifted artist as the performance is an excellent one in every respect, and you’d never guess that one of the players is not a professional pianist.

That said, it’s the violin and piano works that constitute the principal attraction, and I include both discs together because I can’t imagine anyone interested in one not wanting the other as well. The three sonatinas are not, in fact, all that small, especially the latter two, which have four substantial movements apiece. Like everything Schubert wrote they are melodically generous and lovely from beginning to end. The D. 574 is more ambitious still, and by the time we get to the Fantasia we are talking about miracles. These performances are stupendous: perfectly balanced dialogs between two vibrant young personalities, ideally recorded in a warm acoustic space. There’s no need to say more: just get these discs. -- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

MP3 320 · 147 MB

Schubert: Complete Works for Violin and Piano Vol. 1

“These three sonatas are all lightweight, but when played with such sweet tone as Julia Fischer brings to them, and such sensitive and responsive pianism as the remarkable young pianist Martin Helmchen commands, the results are delightful.” --BBC Music Magazine

“Helmchen is adept at pinpointing the crucial harmonies… and his touch is unusually sensitive… Fischer similarly manages to combine restraint with warm expression, and the occasional moments where she plays with more abandon - as in her dramatic first entry in D385 and the ebullient Minute of D403 - stand out the more effectively.” --Gramophone

Schubert’s complete works for violin and piano consist of three “sonatinas” Op. 137 Nos. 1-3 (D. 384, 385 and 408), Rondo Brillant D. 895, the Duo D. 574, and the amazing late Fantasia in D major D. 934. Because these do not quite fill two CDs, Volume 2 includes the Fantasia in F minor for piano duet, with Julia Fischer taking the second piano part. She’s obviously a tremendously gifted artist as the performance is an excellent one in every respect, and you’d never guess that one of the players is not a professional pianist.

That said, it’s the violin and piano works that constitute the principal attraction, and I include both discs together because I can’t imagine anyone interested in one not wanting the other as well. The three sonatinas are not, in fact, all that small, especially the latter two, which have four substantial movements apiece. Like everything Schubert wrote they are melodically generous and lovely from beginning to end. The D. 574 is more ambitious still, and by the time we get to the Fantasia we are talking about miracles. These performances are stupendous: perfectly balanced dialogs between two vibrant young personalities, ideally recorded in a warm acoustic space. There’s no need to say more: just get these discs. --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

MP3 320 · 141 MB

Schubert: Symphonien No 8 & 9

Sinopoli’s new recording of the Unfinished Symphony makes far more sense than his funereal 1983 version with the Philharmonia. It’s actually over four minutes quicker, and he still includes the first movement repeat. I’m not sure about the huge slowing up for the lyrical second subject, but otherwise this reading is alert and dramatic. Sinopoli finds just the right speed for the flowing Andante con moto, and makes the most of its passionate outbursts. --BBC Music Magazine [reviewing the Eighth Symphony]

The first movement is a healthy and inspiriting journey's beginning (unusually, Sinopoli starts to accelerate half way through the introductory Andante to arrive at his tempo for the first movement's Allegro). I rather like the way, in the second movement, he drops the pace for the return of the first theme after the 'warning bell' 54 Gramophone October 1993 transition, and gives the marching a heavier burden. MI cares vanish in the Scherzo; leisurely but lively enough, with good shaping of its long paragraphs, and the orchestra's woodwind providing a feast of colour in the Trio. 

There are hints, in the finale, that DG's preference for a lot of the Dresden Lukaskirche's reverberation in the mix is not ideal for this movement's active textures, though the blurring of the ff ostinato that concludes the first subject (from bar 157, 1'34") is an odd lapse in Sinopoli's otherwise thorough engagement with the movement's rhythms. --Gramophone [10/1993, reviewing the Ninth Symphony]

MP3 320 · 163 MB

Mendelssohn · Mozart · Schubert · MacMillan

“Sparkling, poetic playing that confirms Benedetti's formidable talent. From Ayrshire, written for her by MacMillan… prompts Benedetti to some passionate playing, inspired by melodic lines geared to show off her special qualities.” --Gramophone Magazine, June 2006

Nicola Benedetti is nothing if not brave. Her debut album focussed on Szymanowski, an ideal first choice for this gifted young player. For the follow-up she’s gone to the other extreme with Mendelssohn’s evergreen E minor Concerto, a work recorded by just about every virtuoso who has ever ventured into the recording studio. It’s a work that requires a very specific kind of sound: lithe, transparent, pure, elegant, fine-spun – all qualities that Benedetti possesses in abundance, and which she shares with the likes of Christian Ferras and Nathan Milstein. Most importantly she plays with the kind of rapt concentration and easy command that has one forgetting the business of comparisons altogether, allowing one to enjoy the freshness of Mendelssohn’s inspiration anew.

The jewel-like slow movement is a particular success: conductor James MacMillan relishes the magical transition into that famous, gently flowing melody, and Benedetti creates a true sotto voce for the reprise – a wonderful moment. Milstein still has the edge, but no one getting to know this glorious score via Benedetti’s account would feel anything less than enchanted.

The Schubert and Mozart miniatures are also beautifully played, but it’s MacMillan’s From Ayrshire that makes the greatest impression here, with its hazy atmospherics, and soaring violin line, sounding for all the world like a latter-day The Lark Ascending in its opening pages. Here Benedetti is at her inspired best, playing the exciting final section with a bracing, invigorating freedom. -- Julian Haylock, BBC Music Magazine

MP3 320 · 123 MB

Something Almost Being Said: Music of Bach and Schubert

“The coupling is apt, as is Dinnerstein's linking of the narrative, vocal quality in both the Schubert Impromptus and the Bach Partitas – the Schubert almost a singing symphony in its wonderful four linked movements, while the Bach's dance movements sound as if they could be cantata arias. What is less impressive here is the actual piano-playing – perfectly tasteful but really a bit stolid” --The Observer, 4th March 2012

“tasteful almost to a fault, with its suggestive programme of Bach and Schubert, plus a title derived from Philip Larkin’s poem The Trees. What magic she weaves from the dancing counterpoint in her Bach partitas (nos 1 and 2), the notes sometimes reduced to two single lines. Bliss!” --The Times, 17th February 2012 ****

MP3 320 · 165 MB