Maria João Pires: Schubert

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her performances are characteristically thoughtful – too much so for my liking.
Pires’s approach is more high Romantic than late Classical, constantly oscillating between loud and soft, fast... — Financial Times, 9th February 2013, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 4th Feb 2013
Catalogue No: 4778107
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Length: 83 minutes

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Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 16 in A minor, D845

Work length39:42

Album only

Maria João Pires (piano)
Recorded: 2011-07-21
Recording Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg

I. Moderato

Track length12:38

Album only

II. Andante, poco mosso

Track length12:08

Album only

III. Scherzo (Allegro vivace) - Trio (Un poco più lento)

Track length9:37

Album only

IV. Rondo (Allegro vivace)

Track length5:19

Album only

Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat major, D960

Work length43:31

Album only

Maria João Pires (piano)
Recorded: 2011-07-21
Recording Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Hamburg

I. Molto moderato

Track length20:32

Album only

II. Andante sostenuto

Track length9:46

Album only

III. Scherzo (Allegro vivace con delicatezza)

Track length4:31

Album only

IV. Allegro ma non troppo

Track length8:42

Album only

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Iconic Deutsche Grammophon pianist and celebrated Schubert interpreter Maria João Pires returns to further explore the music of the quintessential romantic composer; deepening a musical relationship that has captivated critics and public alike throughout her career. The Portugese pianist has not recorded either of these sonatas for DG before and this recording of the brooding and expansive Sonata no.16 in A minor is her first for any label.

Both her DG debut recital and the acclaimed 1997 album, Voyage Magnifique, revealed Maria João Pires's unique empathy with the clarity of gesture and melodic line in the solo music of Schubert and this new album, combining the rarely heard Sonata No.16 with one of the composer’s best-loved late works, adds to her acclaimed discography of the composer.

Reviews

9th February 2013

her performances are characteristically thoughtful – too much so for my liking.
Pires’s approach is more high Romantic than late Classical, constantly oscillating between loud and soft, fast and slow, with the sort of artful phrasing that, instead of suggesting the music’s architectural scale and emotional anguish, ends up limiting them. She is at her most persuasive in the central movements of D845 and the Scherzo of D960

May 2013

The Portugese pianist produces such a consistently beautiful, mellow sound that one is liable to be seduced by that single element of her playing...Pires, you feel, lives in the sunshine and must surely play D960 to her grandchildren...Even for one with a lifelong affection for Schnabel, this is a B flat major to live with and savour.

21st May 2013

Pires makes her anti-interpretation standpoint clear and manages to create performances which are uniquely communicative and fresh, keeping the ageing ears of this listener agape and agog from beginning to end...If you want to enhance your life with as ‘perfect’ a Schubert piano disc as can be recommended, then let this be your Elysian Field.

14th April 2013

Here is a Schubertian still at the peak of her pianistic powers with the maturity of an interpreter who has lived with this music for a lifetime (she will be 70 next year). Even though countless great pianists have set down their thoughts on this sublime music, she makes you listen to Schubert’s genius with fresh ears...An enthralling disc.

21st February 2013

Pires has recorded Schubert's B flat major Sonata D960 before, as part of a series of Schubert discs for Erato in the mid-1990s, and in terms of timings the two performances are often strikingly similar...What remains unchanged is the patience with which Pires allows Schubert's music to unfold so naturally that nothing seems forced or contrived.

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