Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Violin Sonata in D major, Op. post.137 No.1, D384 (1816) [12:14]
Violin Sonata in A minor Op. post.137 No.2, D385 (1816) [22:17]
Violin Sonata in G minor, Op. post.137 No.3, D408 (1816) [16:51]
Violin Sonata, 'Duo', Op. post.162, D574 (1817) [22:46]
Rondeau brilliant in B minor, Op.70, D895 (1826) [14:14]
Fantasie in C major, Op.post.159, D934 (1827) [26:43]
Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D821 (1824) [23:12]
Adagio in E flat major, Op. post.148, D897 (1827-28) [9:37]
Tasmin Little (violin)
Piers Lane (piano)
Tim Hugh (cello)
rec. 2014, Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk
CHANDOS CHAN10850(2) [74:36 + 74:13]
Violin sonatas are not the first thing that comes to mind when you think
of Schubert, but Tasmin Little argues a most convincing case for them,
collecting all of Schubert's essays in the genre onto this double
disc, with some more treats besides. All of the sonatas were written
when Schubert was still in his late teens, and all were published
posthumously, so they cannot have had much of an audience during the
composer's lifetime. Many are brief - when he published the
first three, Diabelli referred to them as sonatinas - but they're
delightful, and hearing Schubert's astounding melodic gifts in this
new context will give the pleasure of new discoveries even to someone
familiar with his symphonies, songs and quartets.
The first sonata has a winsome bustle to its opening movement, while in
the Andante the two instruments slot into one another as if they are
finishing one another's sentences. The finale is as dainty as
any courtly dance and in this movement, as throughout the disc, Tasmin
Little and Piers Lane play the music as though it were a great masterpiece,
taking it seriously on its own terms and allowing it to sing for all
it's worth. After the breezy lightness of the first sonata,
however, the second and third take the listener into a world of high
tragedy, full of the youthful spirit of Sturm und Drang. No.
2, in A minor has an urgent, intense Allegro, but a slow movement that
is touching in its simplicity. Seriousness returns for the Menuet,
while the finale has a vigorous sense of the outworking of it themes. No. 3
has a serious edge to it, too, though here the violin and piano seem more
carefully, considerately blended, the piano often seeming to soothe the
rougher edges of the violin's lines. The slow movement has a
beautiful, Mozartian sense of simplicity to it and, while the Menuet is more
cheerful, the finale has a slightly sardonic touch to the treatment of its
first subject.
The fourth sonata Diabelli at least dignified with the title of
"Duo", and it feels like a more mature work, even though it was
written when the composer was only twenty years old. The opening
subject unfolds with the unforced lyricism of one of the great lieder. The
Scherzo is of grander scale than any of the Menuets that serve as third
movements in the earlier sonatas. The slow movement is beautiful but
with a serious undertone, and the finale is light-hearted and buoyant,
reminding you that this sonata dates from the same time as the Fifth
Symphony.
The second disc moves away from conventional sonatas and into more unusual
concert pieces. The Rondeau brillant - which was, at least,
published in Schubert's lifetime - is a rather odd work, more
conventionally virtuosic than you would tend to expect from Schubert.
Its slow introduction feels a little self-important, but the main
Allegro seems to bristle with ideas and a genuine sense of give-and-take
between piano and violin, and the slower interludes are often as interesting
as the faster passages. The E-flat Adagio for piano, violin and cello
- effectively an alternative slow movement for piano trio - sounds
sensational, with the piano and cello seemingly slotted into one
another's soundscape in a way that is totally symbiotic, the piano
commentating beautifully from the outside. The C major
Fantasie sounds fantastic too. The opening is utterly
spellbinding, the piano rippling gently beneath the violin as it sings a
long, long line above it. While the Allegretto is more biting, the theme of
the central Andantino sings beautifully, Schubert at his most melodically
inspired. The ensuing variations then seem to spill over themselves in
their clarity and invention, and Little in particular seems to be inspired
to produce something special for them, with music-making of blithe innocence
and, at times, unrestrained lyricism. The transition to the Allegro
vivace section is full of portent and mystery, while that final section
contains both joy and majesty. It's a nice touch to include the
Arpeggione sonata with Tim Hugh on the cello. The first
movement is intense and lyrical, if perhaps a little cool, but he makes up
for it in the slow movement, which is beautifully expansive, and a finale
which is vigorously involved.
This is a very welcome set, then; a most useful collection of Schubert's
less often heard music for string soloist and piano.
Simon Thompson
Previous review: Jonathan Woolf
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