Schubert: Piano Sonatas in A minor, D537 & A major, D664 / German Dances, D820, D790
Written in 1817 and 1819, the two sonatas on this disc are a study in contrasts: the dramatic, agitated, impetuous A minor, whose many fortissimo passages hardly seem characteristic of Schubert, and the "little" A major (so called to distinguish it from the "great" one of 1828) with its beguiling, sunlit lyricism; its opening theme has been described as the most beautiful melody ever written. Indeed, though Schubert had not yet reached full compositional mastery in developing his material, both works overflow with meltingly lovely melodies, some of which he used again in later works. The program includes two sets of dances dating from 1823 and 1824, probably written for actual dancing parties like hundreds of similar pieces; these, however, are unusually expressive and introverted, abounding with sophisticated harmonies and magical modulations. Several of their themes, too, reappear in other guises elsewhere. The performances are technically splendid and tonally beautiful, but Mitsuko Uchida is not served well by the recorded balance: important inner voices and basses are lost, such as the staccato left hand in the slow movement of the A Minor Sonata, which imitates the pizzicato bass of the bands Schubert heard in the Viennese wine gardens. Uchida's interpretation is interesting and highly personal, but rather puzzling. She takes considerable liberties with tempo and dynamics, lingering over details, slowing down to end phrases, hesitating on upbeats. This makes her playing subtle, delicate, and poetic, but also fussy and exaggerated; the expressiveness sounds manipulated, the music loses its pulse, flow, and natural simplicity and is never allowed to speak for itself.--Edith Eisler