# Schubert piano sonatas



## manueelster (Feb 7, 2013)

A couple of months ago I asked for some recommendations on Schubert music because I had not found something I really liked. Thanks to some of the advises, now I cannot stop listening to his string quartets, his lieder, symphonies etc. However I have not found yet a Schubert piano sonata that amazes me. Any recommendation?


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

Sonata in B flat major D. 960
Sonata in G major D. 894
Sonata in C minor D. 958
Sonata in A major D. 959

They are all amazing. Go for the recording by Wilhelm Kempff, it's great.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Glad to hear you've been enjoying listening to Schubert, manueelster. Just in case you haven't gotten around to them yet, I'll suggest seeking out other Schubertian works with piano in addition to his sonatas: the "Wanderer" Fantasy, the Impromptus, the Moments Musicaux, the wondrous Fantasy in F minor, and chamber works like the "Trout" Quintet and Piano Trios. All of these are amazing--Schubert had an extraordinary feel for the piano.

Like shangoyal, I gravitate to the late sonatas. I'll add the incomplete "Reliquie" sonata (played here, with a completion, by Sviatoslav Richter). In general, I favor Richter in the sonatas: he lingers lovingly over every note (including the repeats): I never get tired of his way with the G major sonata, my favorite of the set (



). My next favorite performer is probably Radu Lupu (though, like Richter, he didn't record them all); and Kempff's traversal, mentioned by shangoyal, is justly famous.

Welcome to the forum, by the way--I'll be interested to hear about your opinions of Schubert's piano works, even if you don't take to them. Quite a journey ahead of you, in any case.


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

I enjoy all of Schubert's mature piano sonatas, beginning with Sonata #14 (D784). As shangoyal noted above, the last three--Sonata #19 (D958), #20 (D959), and #21 (D960)--are considered his masterpieces, but all his sonatas from #14-#21 are excellent.

I would recommend two pianists. From an earlier generation, many recommend Alfred Brendel, who twice did a Schubert cycle. His original cycle is available on the Eloquence label (from Australia); I've not heard it myself, but have it had recommended to me. His later 7 CD cycle is readily available on Decca and is excellent.

However, my current favorite is the Schubert cycle by Brendel's student, Paul Lewis. Lewis has been gradually doing the complete cycle of Schubert's mature sonatas. In 2011, he did a 2CD set for #15 (D840), #17 (D850), #18 (D894), Vier Impromptus (D899), Drei Klavierstucke (D946). In 2012, he did another 2CD set: Wanderfantasie (D760), Four Impromptus (D935), Sonata #16 (D845), and Moments musicaux (D789). Both sets won awards and significant praise. Very early in his career, over 10 years ago, Lewis had done the three great final sonatas that shangoyal mentioned. They are certainly solid performances but they don't compare to his recent work. Well, I see that on May 13th, Harmonia mundi is releasing his brand-new performances of those final sonatas: #14 (D784), #19 (D958), #20 (D959), and #21 (D960). This forthcoming release has just jumped to the top of my wishlist.

By the way, notice that in my listing, some of Schubert's finest piano works are his two sets of Impromptus as well as his Moments musicaux and Wanderfantasie.


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

manueelster said:


> A couple of months ago I asked for some recommendations on Schubert music because I had not found something I really liked. Thanks to some of the advises, now I cannot stop listening to his string quartets, his lieder, symphonies etc. However I have not found yet a Schubert piano sonata that amazes me. Any recommendation?


Manueelster, Blancrocher and I posted our comments at almost the same time. So let me second his recommendations -- such as exploring the performances of Richter and Radu Lupu. Also he recommended as I did exploring Schubert's piano works beyond just the sonatas (e.g. the Impromptus, the Klavierstucke, the Wanderer Fantasy). But as I went back and reread your opening post, it occurred to me that my recommendations and perhaps others may just be too much at this point: i.e. recommending going out and buying box sets with 6 CDs. You say that you have not yet been amazed. Well, let me suggest some amazing segments of his work and hopefully encourage you on your exploration of Schubert. It is worth the effort and the time.

One of Schubert's most powerful sonatas is #20, as we all have noted. It's the 2nd movement, the Andantino, that is especially powerful. Here's a live performance of the movement by Paul Lewis, and he prefaces his performance with a few comments:






Here's another video, this one by Sergey Kuznetsov, playing Sonata #18 ("Fantasie") [not to be confused with the "WandererFantasie"]. Someone has posted versions of this sonata with the score with Lupu, Richter, Brendel, and Kempff playing it, and you might compare this one to those. I find the sound quality of those that I sampled to be not very good. This one is a live performance with pretty good sound quality. Be sure and listen to the 2nd movement (which begins at 19:00 or so).






Hopefully these amaze you.

I should add that Schubert's sonatas are very different from Beethoven's. Beethoven's genius was the art of variation. Schubert was a melodist, a singer. Think of all those hundreds and hundreds of _lieder_ he wrote. Beethoven thought in instrumental terms rather than vocal ones; Schubert was the opposite. A sung melody moves in smaller steps, often progressing stepwise. Also there's more repetition in songs. And there's often sudden changes of mood in song. Some of those features shape how Schubert thinks about and goes about composing. Beethoven--who never ceases to amaze me--could take the simplest material and do the most amazing, the most unexpected things with it (think about the famous opening theme of his 5th symphony). Schubert is _cantabile_, sing-able. Those differences in style and temperament penetrate how each of them go about working out the genius of the piano works. Hope that is of some help.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Alypius said:


> ... Well, I see that on May 13th, Harmonia mundi is releasing his brand-new performances of those final sonatas: #14 (D784), #19 (D958), #20 (D959), and #21 (D960). This forthcoming release has just jumped to the top of my wishlist.


This is already available for download from eclassical and Qobuz

I bought it last evening. Can't wait to listen to it!


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

It is possible to remain unamazed by Schubert's solo sonatas. They were not intended for the Schubertiads.


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

GioCar said:


> This is already available for download from eclassical and Qobuz
> 
> I bought it last evening. Can't wait to listen to it!


Gio, Please report on it when you get a chance. I suspect that it's excellent, but would appreciate hearing your take on it.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Alypius said:


> Gio, Please report on it when you get a chance. I suspect that it's excellent, but would appreciate hearing your take on it.


I'll listen to it this weekend, then I'll report...


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## Novelette (Dec 12, 2012)

shangoyal said:


> Sonata in B flat major D. 960
> Sonata in G major D. 894
> Sonata in C minor D. 958
> Sonata in A major D. 959
> ...


This. This. This. This! :cheers:


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## Selby (Nov 17, 2012)

Alypius' posts were very thorough and I agree with every word.

For a short answer, D.894, the 18th sonata is my personal favorite, not his best, just my favorite. A sweet sweet melody within. Brendel is my preferred interpretation.


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## Guest (May 10, 2014)

Alypius said:


> Well, I see that on May 13th, Harmonia mundi is releasing his brand-new performances of those final sonatas: #14 (D784), #19 (D958), #20 (D959), and #21 (D960). This forthcoming release has just jumped to the top of my wishlist.


I'm confused - ArkivMusic is saying that the 784 and 958 recordings are new, but the 959 and 960 recordings are reissues of the 2002 recordings. That seems a little bone-headed to me.

From ArkivMusic:

Notes and Editorial Reviews
British pianist Paul Lewis's auspicious 2001 harmonia mundi début release marked the beginning of his fascination with the music of Franz Schubert. Thirteen years later, now hailed as "the finest Schubert interpreter of his generation" (Gramophone), Lewis offers this two-disc collection, the final installment of his three-part Schubert series, which presents newly recorded interpretations of sonatas D784 & 958 paired with his 2002 recording of Sonatas D959 and D960. The 'late' works of Schubert hold a special place in Lewis's heart. In a recent interview he said, "There is no precedent in his music for what the language becomes - that sense of austerity, sparseness, hopelessness, terror even! I think he suddenly had an acute awareness of his own mortality."


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

BPS said:


> I'm confused - ArkivMusic is saying that the 784 and 958 recordings are new, but the 959 and 960 recordings are reissues of the 2002 recordings. That seems a little bone-headed to me.
> 
> From ArkivMusic:
> 
> ...


BPS, As I understand it, this forthcoming "Volume 3" with D958, D959 & D960 is a brand-new performance. Yes, he had done a version of these back in 2001. Perhaps they were his recording debut. I have the two CDs. They're fine as performances go, not earth-shaking, but solid, competent, but they are not at the same level as his two excellent "volumes" (which are each 2 CDs) from 2011 (#15, 17 & 18 & the D899 Impromptus) and 2012 (#16, Wandererfantasie & D935 Impromptus). I hope the ArkivMusic information is not correct. Hopefully he has redone all four sonatas and not just #14 and #19. I would love to hear a fresh interpretation of #20 and #21. There is a new depth to his playing now.

Here's the link to the Harmonia mundi website with clips. I'm going to compare these to what I have:
http://www.harmoniamundi.com/#/albums?view=playlists&id=1949


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

BPS, I just checked the clips on Presto Classical website against what I have from the 2002 version of #20 and #21. They sound the same. The texture of the same clips on the Harmonia mundi website is somewhat different, a richer sound (perhaps a remastering?). If it is true what ArkivMusic is reporting--that they are simply reissuing the 2002 version of #20 and #21 while giving us a new version of #14 and #19, then I agree with your assessment. I will probably hold off purchasing this new release until I get surer confirmation. Thanks for the heads up on this.


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## Guest (May 10, 2014)

Alypius - I fear it's the old versions of 959 and 960. The text below comes from the back page of the accompanying booklet that I found online. CD 2 contains these last two sonatas and seems to have been recorded in Sept 2002. 

harmonia mundi s.a.
Mas de Vert, F-13200 Arles H 2014
Enregistrement mars-avril 2013 (CD 1) & septembre 2002 (CD 2), Teldex Studio Berlin Direction artistique : Martin Sauer
Prise de son : René Möller (CD 1) & Philipp Knop (CD 2), Teldex Studio Berlin Montage : Martin Sauer (CD 1) & Philipp Knop (CD 2)
© harmonia mundi pour l’ensemble des textes et des traductions
Photos : Josep Molina © Molina Visuals
Maquette Atelier harmonia mundi


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

^^^^ Confirmed

I want my money back... 

Joking aside, It's ok for me. I don't have his former set of 2 CDs with all four sonatas.
Maybe it's still worth comparing the new 784 & 958 with the old ones, just to guess what we could have missed for the last two...


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Alypius said:


> BPS, I just checked the clips on Presto Classical website against what I have from the 2002 version of #20 and #21. They sound the same. *The texture of the same clips on the Harmonia mundi website is somewhat different, a richer sound (perhaps a remastering?)*. If it is true what ArkivMusic is reporting--that they are simply reissuing the 2002 version of #20 and #21 while giving us a new version of #14 and #19, then I agree with your assessment. I will probably hold off purchasing this new release until I get surer confirmation. Thanks for the heads up on this.


Yes, it should be a remastering. My downloaded version is a 24/96 flac. I believe this wasn't available in 2002 yet.


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

Alypius said:


> Gio, Please report on it when you get a chance. I suspect that it's excellent, but would appreciate hearing your take on it.


Alypius, perhaps you have lost some interest after the recent "discovery", but you should give a try to his new D958 recording.
I have never listened to the previous one so I cannot compare, but imo the new performance is astonishing.
Take for instance the 4th mov. That "Viennese" tarantella is so impressive under his hands...


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## DamoX (Sep 14, 2014)

I'm curious to realize as follows: I'd listened to Schubert's Piano Sonata in B Flat, D 960 performed by Vladimir HOROWITZ many times, that I'd not remarkably immersed in. Recently I purchased Wilhelm KEMPFF's Schubert Complete Recordings on DG, and it was pretty amazing his piano play upon Piano Sonata in B Flat, D 960 completely won my heart and mind. 

Anyway, which pianist do you prefer for Schubert's D960?


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## arnerich (Aug 19, 2016)

My favorite Schubert sonata is Beethoven's op 90.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

DamoX said:


> I'm curious to realize as follows: I'd listened to Schubert's Piano Sonata in B Flat, D 960 performed by Vladimir HOROWITZ many times, that I'd not remarkably immersed in. Recently I purchased Wilhelm KEMPFF's Schubert Complete Recordings on DG, and it was pretty amazing his piano play upon Piano Sonata in B Flat, D 960 completely won my heart and mind.
> 
> Anyway, which pianist do you prefer for Schubert's D960?


There are 2 Horowitzes, very different from each other - the DG, and the earlier Sony/CBS.

One should at least_ hear _Yudina and Richter (the Prague recording being the most extreme of his, probably), and then decide whether they are of one´s interest.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

My go to Schubert Piano Sonatas recordings are the surprisingly underrated, little referenced performances by Walter Klein from 1971-73, but which were remastered for VoxBox CDs. The remastered recording of the piano is excellent. Most of these are available on YouTube.

An example of Klein's superior interpretation can be found in the #21, D960 Andante. This movement starts off in a somber mood, but, out of nowhere, comes a gloriously joyous second subject as if the mood has been temporarily elevated by some happy thought, though only to return to melancholy (or perhaps just serious introspection). I have yet to hear another pianist play this segment without playing it too fast or making it sound somewhat perfunctory. The D960 is perhaps Schubert's greatest creation!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Mine are no 1 Alfred Brendel and Leif Ove Andsnes above an other dozen.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

DamoX said:


> I'm curious to realize as follows: I'd listened to Schubert's Piano Sonata in B Flat, D 960 performed by Vladimir HOROWITZ many times, that I'd not remarkably immersed in. Recently I purchased Wilhelm KEMPFF's Schubert Complete Recordings on DG, and it was pretty amazing his piano play upon Piano Sonata in B Flat, D 960 completely won my heart and mind.
> 
> Anyway, which pianist do you prefer for Schubert's D960?


Mitsuko Uchida.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

DaveM said:


> My go to Schubert Piano Sonatas recordings are the surprisingly underrated, little referenced performances by Walter Klein from 1971-73, but which were remastered for VoxBox CDs. The remastered recording of the piano is excellent. Most of these are available on YouTube.
> 
> An example of Klein's superior interpretation can be found in the #21, D960 Andante. This movement starts off in a somber mood, but, out of nowhere, comes a gloriously joyous second subject as if the mood has been temporarily elevated by some happy thought, though only to return to melancholy (or perhaps just serious introspection). I have yet to hear another pianist play this segment without playing it too fast or making it sound somewhat perfunctory. The D960 is perhaps Schubert's greatest creation!


I only know Walter Klien for some fine Mozart and Schumann _Davidsbündlertänze_, thanks for sharing the info.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

arnerich said:


> My favorite Schubert sonata is Beethoven's op 90.


Alas, doesn't count this time.


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## MalariaMan (Aug 30, 2016)

I'm not a great connoisseur of Schubert's music (although i feel like I would love a lot of his work) but I have recently listened to both Richter and Arrau's interpretation of his Piano Sonata 18 D.894 and was amazed at the different feel I got from one and the other. It's like two different sonatas! I can't decide if I like the more ponderous Richter or the more melodic Arrau.


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2016)

Schubert and Brendel is my firrst recommendation. This one with Ashkenazy is also very fine.


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

I say which one isn't my favorite - interpreted by Richter!

really, I know many admire his interpretation of Schubert's sonatas, but well, don't know, not my taste, especially 960....


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## Mahlerite555 (Aug 27, 2016)

The adagio in the final sonata is his greatest work and for me the greatest piano music ever written.


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

Traverso said:


> Schubert and Brendel is my firrst recommendation. This one with Ashkenazy is also very fine.


I enjoy Ashkenazy's Schubert too. I particularly like his recording of the Piano Sonata No.18, D.894.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Pollini's Schubert yet. This one is special:


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