Essence of a Genius

Between his early “post-Mozartean” sonatas and late masterpieces of symphonic proportions, Schubert spent the years 1817 and 1818 exploring the possibilities of the piano sonata, through unusual harmonic relationships, intensive use of trills, heightened virtuosity, lengthy chord repetitions, and extreme dynamic contrasts. The Sonata in F Minor, D. 625, is one of the fi nest examples of this second manner, with its committed Romanticism and quest for direct emotional communication allied with robust structural features. Its first movement, much like the Sonata in F-sharp Minor, D. 571, stands as one of Schubert’s most exquisitely lyrical works. Its slow movement, an “Adagio” in D-fl at major, succeeds in melding astonishing modulations in its development section, while still maintaining continuity of tone. The “Scherzo & Trio” in the distant key of E major is among the composer’s most energetic movements, alternating between repeated chord progressions and meteoric flights of scales.