The two sonatas on this CD were composed in two periods during which life looked very different for the composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828). The first, the Piano Sonata in A major, D 664 was written while on a long trip during the summer of 1819, when he exchanged the busy and polluted streets of Vienna for the beauties of nature in northern Austria. The second, the Piano Sonata in Bb major, D 960, his last piano sonata, was composed almost ten years later in 1828. By this time, he was at last enjoying increasing fame as a composer, but his health had deteriorated so much that he did not survive to enjoy this success for long.
Fernando Riscado Cordas has arranged these masterpieces for guitar duo. An important factor in the choice of these two works is that they share certain properties that are very suitable to the character of the guitar. The music sometimes appears to have been conceived for the guitar, and perhaps this is not surprising, given that Franz Schubert himself owned two guitars made by the two best Viennese luthiers: Johann Georg Stauffer and Bernard Enzensperger. The guitar was a very popular instrument during the three decades that Schubert lived. Many a guitarist who looks into this conjures their own image of a Franz Schubert who composed with a guitar on his lap. There is however no evidence that this was the case, if only because it is known that Schubert composed without the aid of an instrument. Nevertheless, there is plenty of evidence that the instrument was one with which Schubert would have come into contact everywhere, and was very much a presence in the musical world in which he found himself. There are first editions of his songs written for voice and guitar, some occasional works by him that use the guitar, pictures of Schubert featuring a guitar or a guitar player, and indeed written sources by members of his circle of friends, showing that there was a lot of guitar playing going on in his environment.
Fernando Riscado Cordas and Izhar Elias are internationally recognised specialists in the field of historical guitars, and as a duo they focus mainly on early 19th century guitar music played on instruments from that time. Their lively playing is based on an extensive and in-depth knowledge of historical performance practice. They share their great knowledge and musicality at venues and festivals worldwide, and they have won several important prizes. Fernando is affiliated with the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and Izhar teaches at the Conservatory of Amsterdam.
