Schubert: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 6

by Barry Douglas

Overview

Pianist Barry Douglas has taken on a cycle of Schubert's piano music and has generally succeeded in the ambitious task of providing a coherent outlook on it. One word for it might be "sober." Here, that outlook has mixed results. The prime attraction is the Piano Sonata in A minor, D. 845, which was written just before Schubert began work on the Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 ("Great"). Douglas offers an expansive reading of the first movement that brings out the connections and drills down into Schubert's thinking of the moment, with careful handling of the gathering harmonic challenge to sonata form. The energy carries all the way through to the Rondo finale, which is really more of a sonata-rondo; Douglas' reading has momentum that gives a satisfying conclusion. Liszt's piano transcription of the Ave Maria (Ellens Gesang III) is also very strong here, with Douglas keeping the texture clear even amidst technical thickets. The news in the Four Impromptus, D. 935, is less good. One's mileage (kilometers?) may vary, but the reading may strike listeners as ponderous, with Douglas clocking in at over 40 minutes for a work that in most readings takes six or seven less, or even fewer. A certain lightness might be thought to be inherent in the Impromptu form, but Douglas instead emphasizes and unpacks the works structurally. One can see what one thinks. As usual, Douglas has been well recorded by Chandos here, at an auditorium at the MTU Cork School of Music in Ireland. One awaits his further Schubert releases with interest. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	10/28/2022
Label:	Chandos
UPC:	0095115225325
Rank:	153371

Tracks

1. Piano Sonata, Op. 42, D 845 in A minor~Moderato
2. Piano Sonata, Op. 42, D 845 in A minor~Andante poco mosso
3. Piano Sonata, Op. 42, D 845 in A minor~Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Trio. Un poco pi¿¿ lento - Scherzo da capo
4. Piano Sonata, Op. 42, D 845 in A minor~Rondo. Allegro vivace
5. Four Impromptus, Op. post. 142, D 935~Allegro moderato in F minor
6. Four Impromptus, Op. post. 142, D 935~Allegretto - Trio - [Allegretto da capo] in A flat major
7. Four Impromptus, Op. post. 142, D 935~[Thema mit Variationen] in B flat major
8. Four Impromptus, Op. post. 142, D 935~Allegro scherzando - Pi¿¿ presto in F minor
9. Ellens Gesang III (Ave Maria), D. 839 (Op. 52/6)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Barry Douglas   Primary Artist,Piano

Technical Credits

Jonathan Cooper   Engineer,Editing,Recording Producer
Franz Schubert   Composer
Christopher Terroni   Piano Technician
Cass Cassidy   Typesetting,Design
Sue Shortridge   A&R
Gabor Melegh   Paintings
Francis Marchal   Liner Note Translation
Andreas Klatt   Liner Note Translation
Finn S. Gundersen   Booklet Editor
Brian Newbould   Liner Notes
Benjamin Ealovega   Photography,Cover Photo