Schubert, Franz Piano Sonata d. 958; Lieder; Fragments Leif Ove Andsnes, Ian Bostridge

Leif Ove Andsnes - The Beethoven Journey - Piano Concertos 1 & 3
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 254 MB | Full Artwork: 137 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Sony Classical # 88725420582 | Country/Year: Europe 2012
Genre: Classical | Style: Viennese School

“…there's a palpable sense of discovery, of living the music…You know you're in remarkable musical company before the piano has sounded a note…Of course, this isn't just down to the players: it's Andsnes's conception right from the start…What's also very striking is that these performances are not simply about elan and energy: they have a sense of gravitas, too, of rightness, that you find in the greatest Beethoven interpreters.” ~Grammophone

Internationally acclaimed pianist, Arcadi Volodos returns with his sensationally recordings of Schubert’s Piano Sonata D 959 and Minuets D 334, D 335, D 600. This stunning album comes 17 years after Volodos recorded his critically acclaimed interpretations of Schubert’s Piano Sonatas 1 & 18 which was hailed by Gramophone magazine as a “triumphant recording". This release is the only chance to hear his interpretation of Schubert’s mighty piano sonata No. 20 D 959, as he has now retired this work forever from his live programme. To complete the album Volodos lends his unique and spellbinding artistry to 3 short Minuets – that are seldom recorded or performed.

Leif Ove Andsnes has made many excellent recordings for Virgin and EMI over the long years of his association with those two labels. One thinks of his harrowing Janácek, his exhilarating Grieg, his ravishing Chopin, and his staggering Nielsen discs. Unfortunately, this two-disc set coupling Schubert's last four piano sonatas is not one of Andsnes' better efforts. It's not that his technique isn't as impressive as before.

Leif Ove Andsnes is a leading pianist of his time, known for his exceptional musicianship and subtil touch, his considerable technical flair being unfailingly put at the service of his interpretations. He was a pioneer for being the first home-trained superstar pianist to have emerged from Norway. This box is the story of a 20-year partnership that has yielded a rich seam of recorded treasures, first for Virgin and then for EMI. Running through this cornucopia of 34 albums (36 CDs), we find recurring themes: Grieg (Andsnes even recorded some Lyric Pieces on the composer’s own piano at Troldhaugen), Nordic music in general, Schumann, Rachmaninov, Schubert.

There is a history of major pianists joining forces to record Schubert’s Fantasia in F minor. Now it is the turn of Bertrand Chamayou and Leif Ove Andsnes. Composed in 1828, the final year of Schubert’s short life, the Fantasia is often described as the greatest of all works for two players at one piano. Chamayou and Andsnes first performed it together in 2016, when Andsnes launched the inaugural Rosendal Chamber Music Festival in western Norway. He had been impressed by a Schubert album that Chamayou had recorded for Erato, and it also happened that two pianists shared a mentor: the Belgian teacher Jacques de Tiège.