Sonates pour piano (Volume 1)

Description

Martin Helmchen begins a complete cycle of Schubert's piano sonatas, eight double albums to be released by 2028, the bicentennial of the composer's death. The German pianist has spent his musical life in the company of Schubert. After playing all of his major works, he decided it was time to embark on this adventure. According to him, Schubert demands from the performer "a constant virtuosity, without ever any unnecessary complexity, opposing a sober interiority, or again the exuberant joy of the Ländler opposing the outbursts of dramatic madness." Recording a complete cycle also involves carefully studying the scores and addressing the question of movements left unfinished by the composer: Should one stop at the exact point where Schubert ceased composing, due to lack of time or simply lack of money to buy music paper? Helmchen chose to complete these movements, inspired in this by the recordings and especially the analyses of the eminent pianist Paul Badura-Skoda. This first volume presents sonatas composed between 1815 (Schubert was 18) and 1825. Like the entire cycle, it was recorded at the Kronberg Academy on a Bösendorfer piano.