Schubert: Sonatas D. 959 & D. 960

Featuring

Ronald Brautigam
Franz Schubert

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Compositional Technique

Schubert's late works, including these sonatas, often radiate a dark luminescence, capable of stopping time, and sing of both unbearable tragedy and transcendent serenity.

Instruments

The fortepiano used for this recording was made by Paul McNulty in 2007, modeled after a Conrad Graf instrument from around 1819, which retained the thin soundboard and light hammers of the Viennese classical era.

Compositional Technique

Schubert's last sonatas achieve their 'heavenly lengths' (a phrase coined by Robert Schumann) through a fluctuating motion rather than a goal-oriented progression, creating a sense of an endless journey.

Composer Biography

Franz Schubert's final months in 1828 were exceptionally productive, yielding the three Klavierstücke, Mass in E flat major, C major String Quintet, and the three piano sonatas, D 958-960.

Performer Biography

Ronald Brautigam, the fortepiano performer on this album, is known for performing at the highest level on both modern and period instruments.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in July 2022 at the Immanuelskirche, Wuppertal, Germany, and produced by Ingo Petry of Take5 Music Production.

Composer's Artistic Vision

In his last piano sonatas, Schubert confidently inserted direct references to Beethoven's iconic piano music, highlighting the novelty of his own compositional processes.