Joyce Hatto’s Schubert
Sonata cycle is becoming available on
Concert Artist. They have so far been
recorded over the decade from 1990 –
2000 and are now available singly and
I have reviewed all four on this site.
It goes without saying that Hatto is
a formidable technician whose sense
of clarity and form has before been
noted as salient features of her profound
musicality. The opening volume begins
with the litmus test of D959 in A major,
coupled with the three Klavierstücke
D946.
The opening movement
of the Sonata opens with unusual pliancy
and relatively slowly. She makes much
of the internal contrasts in this Allegro
but there are times when she stretches
the line almost to breaking point, a
danger she meets with characteristic
finger control and nuance. That this
is not going to be a heaven-storming
example of Schubertian rhetoric is shown
by the Andantino. Against Kempff’s overt
affection, against Schnabel’s moving
depth Hatto instead brings relatively
clipped articulation, a sense of cleanliness
and almost of anti-romantic linearity
and objectivity. To me the lack of titanic
struggle gives the movement too scrubbed
a sound world but others will, I’m sure,
admire its resolve and determination.
The Scherzo however is pearly and vivacious
and has rather an italicised central
section. The finale features good pointing
and elasticity and though the themes
are gathered up and redeployed well
there is a certain lack of phrasal inexorability
about the playing. The three Klavierstücke
go well; I especially admired the simple
songful lilt of the E flat as well as
the infectiously deadpan C major.
Jonathan Woolf
See
Full list of Concert Artist recordings
Joyce Hatto (piano) 