IDAGIO | The Koroliov Series, Vol. 15: Schubert – Piano Sonatas, D. 894 & 959 4009850097969

Featuring

Evgeni Koroliov
Franz Schubert

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Composer Biography

Franz Schubert was not a piano virtuoso, but he excelled at cantabile (singing) playing, which he considered most important.

Critical Reception

Robert Schumann, a passionate advocate for Schubert, initially criticized Schubert's last piano sonatas, describing them as endlessly 'rippling on from page to page' without praise.

Performer Biography

Evgeni Koroliov has a particular interest in the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, having performed the entire Well-tempered Clavier at age seventeen and numerous Bach cycles since.

Critical Reception

It was not until the 20th century that pianists like Artur Schnabel and Alfred Brendel helped audiences understand the profound stringency and stamina of Schubert's late piano sonatas.

Performer Biography

Evgeni Koroliov, the pianist on this album, was born in Moscow in 1949 and studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

Cultural Impact

Composer György Ligeti praised Evgeni Koroliov's recording of Bach's 'The Art of Fugue' so highly that he said he would choose it as his only musical work on a desert island.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Schubert's approach to sonata form differed from Beethoven's; he kept melodies intact, leading them through new tonalities and nuances, creating 'landscapes' where his music unfolds.