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Schubert - Piano Sonatas, D959 & D960

~~£12.83~~ £10.27

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Label: BIS

Cat No: BIS2624

Barcode: 7318599926247

Format: Hybrid SACD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Instrumental

Expected Release Date: 20th September 2024

Works

Schubert, Franz

Piano Sonata no.20 in A major, D959
Piano Sonata no.21 in B flat major, D960

Artists

Ronald Brautigam (fortepiano)

Works

Schubert, Franz

Piano Sonata no.20 in A major, D959
Piano Sonata no.21 in B flat major, D960

Artists

Ronald Brautigam (fortepiano)

About

Less than a year after the release of his recording of Schubert’s Impromptus (BIS2614), Ronald Brautigam now presents two of Franz Schubert’s late masterpieces, the Sonatas D959 and D960. They are played here on a fortepiano built by Paul McNulty after an instrument from around 1819 by the Viennese instrument maker Conrad Graf and presumably similar to the instrument on which Schubert composed.

Although it is tempting to see Schubert’s final works as the testament of a doomed artist who feels his end is nearing, the reality is quite different: the composer displayed vitality, optimism and a prodigious capacity for work. His last two sonatas also show that he had reached a new level, having successfully emancipated himself from the Beethovenian model.

These sonatas took a long time to establish themselves, not least because of their length, which was at first disconcerting for music-lovers and pianists alike. They are now considered to be among Schubert’s finest works, alongside others dating from the last years of his life, such as the String Quintet in C major and the song cycle Winterreise. All these works seemed to herald considerable promise for future works; Schubert’s untimely death buried a rich heritage, but even more beautiful hopes.