Schubert composed the last three piano sonatas in the summer of 1828, a period marked by acute health crises and professional disappointments, shortly before his death in November.
Composition History
The Sonata D.664 was likely written for Josefine von Koller, the daughter of an iron merchant, whom Schubert met during a summer trip to Steyr in 1819.
Compositional Technique
The Sonata D.960 features a mysterious trill in the bass, which appears thirteen times in the first movement, often murmured, and serves as a recurring motif.
Composition History
The first print of Schubert's last three sonatas, intended to be dedicated to Johann Nepomuk Hummel, was instead dedicated to Robert Schumann by the publisher Anton Diabelli in 1839.
Compositional Technique
Schubert's unique treatment of harmony, with modulations that create rich colors on the piano, is a defining characteristic of his work, exemplified in the sonatas on this recording.
Composer Biography
Schubert's only all-Schubert concert during his short life was in March 1828, just eight months before his death.
Critical Reception
Schubert's piano music was often considered too contemplative and was overshadowed by more fashionable composers and virtuosos, playing little role in public concerts.
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