Menahem Pressler, the pianist on this recording, fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and later won first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in 1946.
Composition History
Schubert's three large-scale piano sonatas, including the Piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat major, D960, were completed only two months before his death in September 1828.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Beethoven's late sonatas, Opp. 109-111, may have been influenced by philosopher Immanuel Kant's idea that art should bridge the natural and spiritual worlds.
Composition History
Beethoven's last three piano sonatas, Opp. 109-111, were composed from 1820 to 1822 at the instigation of the Parisian publisher Moritz Schlesinger.
Performer Biography
Menahem Pressler founded the Beaux Arts Trio in 1955, an ensemble described by the Washington Post as 'the gold standard for trios throughout the world' for nearly 55 years.
Composer Biography
Chopin's Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. posth., was written in 1830 shortly before he left Poland as a political exile.
Critical Reception
Schubert's late sonatas were not initially well-received by Robert Schumann, but gained their true appreciation in the 20th century through artists like Artur Schnabel.
