Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 18 in G Major, Op. 78, D. 894 & 3 Klavierstücke, D. 946

Featuring

Elena Margolina
Franz Schubert

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Composition History

The Three Piano Pieces, D. 946, were written in May and June 1828, just months before Schubert's death, and were not revised or published during his lifetime.

Composition History

Schubert's sonatas composed after 1825 were published almost immediately and confidently designated by him as 'Grandes Sonates', indicating his intention to contribute significantly to the sonata form.

Composer Biography

Franz Schubert's early piano sonatas, written around 1817, were typically in three movements and relatively short.

Performer Biography

Pianist Elena Margolina won First Prize at the Fifth International Schubert Piano Competition in Dortmund in 1995.

Compositional Technique

From 1824 onwards, Schubert's sonatas generally expanded to four movements and explored 'spaciousness', a musical phenomenon describing orchestral soundscapes and larger individual movements.

Critical Reception

The Three Piano Pieces, D. 946, were only published posthumously in 1868 by Johannes Brahms, who anonymously edited them and separated them into three volumes, losing their intended cyclical connection.

Critical Reception

Schubert's Sonata in G major, D. 894, was published with the title 'Fantasie oder: Sonate' because contemporaries perceived it as more fantasy-like and less traditional than a typical sonata.