Jia Daqun, one of China's most famous composers, wrote the Three Preludes for his daughter, Ran Jia, the pianist on this album.
Composer Biography
Franz Schubert was one of the 36 torchbearers at Ludwig van Beethoven's funeral in 1827, expressing his admiration for the composer he had never dared to meet.
Performer Biography
The performer, R/an Jia, discovered Schubert's music at age 13 and feels a strong connection to it, believing she will spend her life exploring its spiritual delicacy.
Compositional Technique
Jia Daqun's 'Homage to Schubert,' the third of his Three Preludes, quotes a theme from Schubert's A minor Piano Sonata D845.
Composer Biography
Schubert's health was rapidly deteriorating in 1828, but he experienced a 'frenzy of creativity,' completing his String Quintet in C major and his three great final piano sonatas before his death.
Composition History
Despite his admiration for Beethoven, Schubert started no fewer than twenty-two piano sonatas, though only about a dozen were completed.
Critical Reception
Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 16 in A Minor, D. 845, was praised by the Leipzig-based Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung in 1826, comparing it to Beethoven's greatest sonatas.
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