Schubert Arpeggione Sonata & Piano Sonata D959

Some reservations, but these are quality performances from dedicated musicians

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Franz Schubert

Genre:

Chamber

Label: ArtistLed

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 67

Mastering:

Stereo
DDD

Catalogue Number: 10401-2

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano Franz Schubert, Composer
David Finckel, Cello
Franz Schubert, Composer
Wu Han, Piano
Sonata for Piano No. 20 Franz Schubert, Composer
Franz Schubert, Composer
Wu Han, Piano
‘ArtistLed’ means that the artists act as their own record producers. In this case, the result is certainly to their credit, with fine sound and thoughtful, well-crafted performances. Wu Han’s account of the great A major Sonata draws us right in to this very intimate, personal work. It’s a meticulous performance, too, in matters of touch and phrasing, as well as in observing all Schubert’s indications for dynamics, accentuation and staccato. It adds up to an accurate, if somewhat literal picture of the music – I wonder if Schubert really intended all those staccato bass notes in the Andante to sound so short and dry, or whether he might have countenanced some use of the sustaining pedal (which, on an 1820s piano, wouldn’t have had such an enveloping effect as on a modern instrument)? It’s fine, agile piano playing – the Scherzo is delightfully bright and airy – but there’s a recurring suggestion of something slightly dry and academic.

I have mixed feelings, too, about the Arpeggione Sonata. For the piano melodies, David Finckel – best known as a member of the Emerson Quartet – adopts a soft-grained tone, with a somewhat flowery vibrato. It’s a personal reaction, I know, but I prefer a cello tone that’s more tightly centred, and with more of an edge to the sound. If the tempi are too slow, it’s not by much, but it seems to me that the long, arching melodic lines that are the particular glory of this work are better served if the music is allowed to flow more, as Perényi and András Schiff do, for example. So, though these are undoubtedly dedicated performances, demonstrating a high level of musicianship, they don’t always quite hit the mark.

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