Paul Lewis

Acclaimed British pianist Paul Lewis returns to the music of Franz Schubert with another two-disc collection of works for solo piano. His fifth release in the series, this set features the great A minor Piano Sonata D.845, the Impromptus D.935, the Moments Musicaux D.780, the Allegretto D915 and the always-popular Wanderer Fantasy D.760. This release features some of Schubert's most popular and highly regarded compositions for piano and will undoubtedly further enhance Lewis' growing reputation as a specialist in this repertoire and a true heir to the great Alfred Brendel.

The English pianist Paul Lewis has been known for detailed, intelligent readings of Beethoven in which he follows his own creative dictates rather than established patterns laid down by others. Now he brings his approach to Haydn, who might seem less suited to it: Haydn's keyboard sonatas, though often delightful, generally haven't been thought of as manifesting the broad public ambitions of his symphonies and string quartets. Yet Lewis, as usual, brings considerable insight to these pieces, and his fans should lap this up. Sample the first movement of the Piano Sonata in C major, Hob. 16/50, for a representative slice: Whatever may be lost in the light humor of many readings is counterbalanced by Lewis' intricate tracings of the unusual second-degree-to-tonic resolution in the main theme and its ramifications throughout the movement.