Schubert - Piano Sonata No. 21, in B flat. - the most beautiful piece ever written for solo piano?

Schubert's last piano sonata, written shortly before his death in 1828, is a wonder to behold. In this talk, I give some background on the composer and the piece in general, and play excerpt performances from five truly remarkable pianists. Which one do you prefer?
Chapters:
00:25 - Introduction to Schubert his life and times and the work
06:05 - 1st. movement 'Molto Moderato'
17:56 - 2nd. movement 'Andante Sostenuto'
27:12 - 3rd. movement 'Scherzo - allegro vivace con delicatezza'
32:45 - 4th. Movement 'Allegro ma non troppo - Presto'
The Spotify links to the recordings I feature in this video are:
Leif Ove Andsnes:
open.spotify.com/album/3spm80...
Sviatoslav Richter:
open.spotify.com/album/4VLvd6...
Maria Joao Pires:
open.spotify.com/album/51e2j0...
Mitsuko Uchida:
open.spotify.com/album/4X32yx...
Stephen Kovacevich:
open.spotify.com/album/7dN59W...
Our intro & outro music ‘Philia’ by Stefan Meylaers: open.spotify.com/track/0w9qjK...
Equipment used in this video:
Loudspeakers: Pearl Acoustics SG
Preamplifier: Musical Fidelity M8s-Pre
Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity M8s-500s
CD Player: Lyngdorf CD-2
Cables: Loudspeaker cables: Pearl Acoustics Natural Balance, Interconnects: AudioQuest
Listening Room acoustic panels: GIK
If you would like to find out more about Pearl Acoustics and our Sibelius loudspeakers, please visit our website at: www.pearlacoustics.com
or email us with your questions: [e-mail]
Social media links:
/ pearlacoustics
/ pearl.acoustics

[@margaretcorfield9891]

This was my mother's favourite piece of music, and when she was dying, it was the Richter version she was listening to, on repeat, as she left this world. Thankyou for this today.❤

[@PearlAcoustics]

You are very welcome. Thanks for sharing your experience with your mother.

[@adolfdyversiti6517]

Richter when playing Shostakovich,it's an other planet....(preludes and fugues)

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

Margaret, see my post above. I explain about the spirit-world and the B and B-flat keys.

[@margaretcorfield9891]

@theacousticrabbithole9608 Your views on the 'colour' of keys and individual notes or chords is interesting, and fits in well with my own perceptions. My middle son and I have often discussed the 'colours' of certain notes and keys, and in general, our perceptions coincide. There is, however, one big exception relating to the keys of C and F. I see C major as white and see F major as (cardinal) red, my son sees those two the other way round, ie to him, C major is (cardinal) red, and F major is white. Strange, especially since we agree on the colours of all other keys, with only some slight variation in the 'exact' shade in a couple of them.

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

Margaret, I have an unbelievable explanation for this. If C is akin to the energy of red (the BEGINNING of the rainbow spectrum) then it actually makes sense to associate C-note t as red since the rainbow is hidden or "contained" in--you guessed it--WHITE light. The C is where white light opens and lets itself out. That's why red is associated with blood and birth. White light begins to bleed. And it's also why the greatest love songs are always in C major (see Lionel Ritchie). / Now, to answer about seeing F as green OR red: Ok, so Green is the opposite of Red. And F-sharp is the tritone of C (most dissonant interval from C) Therefore, following the 2 colors from C/Red we find F-natural as yellow-green (chartreuse) and finally to F# as full grass-green. Classic perception experiment: if you stare at an image of a green square on the wall for a bit and then quickly look at a white surface you will see a RED square after-image, NOT green. Therefore, the energy of F and F# is green by nature (Bach & Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphonies in F"). As opposed to your son who saw F#=green, that fact that you thought red was simply your brain naturally switching complimentary colors of the note! // I'm a musician, and for the longest time wondered why the sound-healing videos on uTube kept saying that C-256 heart-chakra was green, not red. Now I fully understand. // Also, every color-note has it's tritone color-note in it's opposite color. I created a periodic-table keyboard for this called my Musicolor Matrix. You can see me playing from this keyboard here on my channel! This a sign from God that we are related this parallel experiences so "randomly." - God Bless, ad I do hope you get a chance to see my work. Be well. - The Acoustic Rabbit Hole @@margaretcorfield9891

[@oxyiscool]

The second mvt of his Sonata 20. D.959 is the perfect example of a piece of music written by someone who knew he was dying...

[@sue.F]

I don’t listen much to classical music, but to my untrained ear each pianist sounds divine. What a beautiful man Schubert must have been to gift this exquisite depth of feeling to the world.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Indeed

[@shawnmarko7131]

Incredible observation, so well stated.

[@user-fv1yy8vy1l]

I have listened to nearly all major recordings of this great D.960 and still I cannot forget the depth and perfection of Richter's rendition.

[@M-pb8ms]

What's your opinion on Stephen Hough's recording??

[@jeanpaulchoppart6818]

There is a lot of subjectivity in our judgments about interpretations of musical works. For me, there are many pianists who play this sonata in a more lively and singing way than Richter.

[@Jordan-jx3sx]

Yes,he owns this sonata.

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

Yes, but I think this sonata is more about about death than about being lively.@@jeanpaulchoppart6818

[@Aurroral]

At this stage of his career, Schubert was fast approaching death from syphilis. I would guess that he felt he was writing profound music, 'music for the ages', rather than lively and singing music. For me Richter brings out this profundity like no-one else.

[@MottiShneor]

I love the D960, but for me, Schuberts last real cry to the world, is the previous, the D959, where he forsake all the rules, and spoke directly about the pain he was experiencing, and the approaching doom, about despair and anger and love and hope. I WILL go back now to listen to the 21st sonata D960, just as a check... I love Svjatoslav Richter's rendition.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment

[@fepeerreview3150]

Alfred Brendel has always been my favorite performer of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert.

[@Nai61a]

fepeerreview: Pleased to encounter you in a context other than our shared fight against flat Earth and religion!

[@edhanslick5630]

I would add F. Liszt. He is one of the few who doesn´t stress just his virtuosity as opposed to those for whom Liszt is just a superficial technician.

[@coralreef909]

Rüdolf Serkin.

[@edhanslick5630]

@@coralreef909 Absolutely!

[@4eversearch]

Richter is my absolutete favorite among other great musicians. And yet my vote goes to A. Brendel's interpretations of this somata. SOmetimes go "on binge" listening to it for few days on end

[@bbq3641]

To me, Maria Joao Pires is the best. She interprets Schubert' pieces (not only this one) in a way as if she has been his closest friend, and tells his life stories to the audiences and she avoids to narrate in a melancholic way but instead with her very unique way with passion for life.

[@rk41gator]

Richter's performance is achingly beautiful. It is so nice you hear different interpretations of this fabulous work. Each brings out a different facet of this jewel.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you very much!

[@davidlevy3092]

No one has mentioned my esteemed teacher, the late Walter Hautzig. He was a master of Schubert playing, being from Vienna himself.

[@BeautifulClassics]

Upon hearing Franz Schubert 's Moments Musicaux, Impromptus and the late Sonata's for the first time in my late teens, I was absolutely stunned and blown away. The emotion he puts into his music is just of another level. Alfred Brendel's CD's were the ones I bought right after and I still love his interpretations very much to this day, 35 years later. Schubert is as good as it gets. Thanks for this wonderful video.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment and your kind words

[@marcusassenmacher938]

I don‘t know (and can’t explain) what it is about Schubert that keeps me in complete awe. His music touches me in a way few other composers do. The last 3 Sonatas are among my favorites of his works. I only heard all 3 performed on the same evening once but it was a profoundly moving experience.

[@PearlAcoustics]

I can imagine! Thanks for sharing

[@alex7700585]

I also enjoy Maria Yudina's interpretation although my favorite is Mrs Uchida

[@stephenestall9044]

The wonderful Schubert died when only 31 years of age. He was a far greater composer at that age than Beethoven was at thirty-one. Just imagine what he could have written had he lived another 20 years or so. I often think of this when I listen to Schubert.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your contribution to the discussion. You raise an interesting, albeit, a debatable topic (the comparison with Beethoven), so here is a counter thought… (just for fun) ‘what if, Schubert had lived longer and burnt himself out?’ I say it because, as far as I know, none of his symphonies was ever performed, he only had a relatively small group of supporters. And this constant rejection must have had a big impact on him? Even this masterpiece was published 10 years after his death. So there was a big chance of his genius not fulfilling its potential. As with so many geniuses, they burn out way too young. His sickness and general poor health could also have been due to his massive, self inflicted workload, and no one can sustain that for long. Thanks again for your very interesting comment

[@XRP747E]

I loved your analysis. So respectful and discerning. Fantastic video. Thank you.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you kindly!

[@nancyrevzen7798]

I adore Richter's courage in his choice of tempo. I think that he understood Schubert's state of mind when writing this .Instead of just playing the sonata, he knows or, he feels, what Schubert felt at the time,A definite plus.

[@syourke3]

I think Richter takes it much too slowly. It drags. The first movement is marked “molto moderator”. Not “lento”. Or even “andante”.

[@pierrelauret2794]

We know that. It's written on the partition. This is not the point. Richter plays the piece as he thinks it should be played, and his version is very deep. Besides that, it's much more difficult to play the two first movements at such slow tempi, and to keep them interesting. Richter succeeds because of his incredible sense of time and phrasing.@@syourke3

[@syourke3]

@@pierrelauret2794 I believe that the pianist should try to realize the composers intentions. I think this is a basic rule for all classical musicians. We are interpreters, and the job of an interpreter is to translate the written score into music as honestly as possible. Of course, there are times when the composer’s intentions are unclear, and then the interpreter must use his own best judgment - bit sissy’s, his purpose must be to fulfill the composer’s intentions to the best of his ability and not to substitute his own notions for those of the composer. This is taught in every music academy and it makes sense. Richter was always a bit eccentric and this is an unfortunate example of it. Like when Pogorelich recorded the first movement of Beethoven’s “Appasionata” sonata at half speed or the crimes committed by Gould on Mozart’s piano sonatas. Why these great pianists would commit such appalling musical atrocities is something I cannot comprehend. To be able to play the great works written by these musical geniuses is a privilege granted to very few mortals and this privilege should not be abused. To be a great musician, one must be humble.

[@pierrelauret2794]

I understand that, but I disagree. The pianist should play the SCORE as he thinks it should be played. The composer is not the owner of his work. We know that some tempi indicated by Beethoven are rather weird ! And Richter is always very accurate and serious. I agree with you on Pogorelich and Gould. @@syourke3

[@ratzlp0li]

​@syourke3 You should also be humble before the great Richter. Simply because you do not understand his art, does not mean it does not have value. Richter has brought a depth and profundity to this sonata and the Schubert that I have not heard equalled by any other pianist.

[@waetos]

Worth mentioning is the way Schubert turns doom and gloom into triumph later in the 2nd movement - he walks the bass line then adds tremolos (a reminder of a famous impromptu?) to offset the melody. The doom and gloom then return, morphed into a bitter sweet closing. It's mind-boggling that a 31 year old could create something so heart-wrenching and profound. Thank goodness that, after Schubert passed away, Robert Schumann paid a visit to Schubert's brother, where he collected a treasure-trove of compositions numbering hundreds and had the wherewithal to turn them over for cataloguing and publication. The world could easily have missed out on such wonder..

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks so much for your very interesting and enlightening comment.

[@powerlifting402]

What a marvelous video, thank you. It's amazing how differently they all interpret the piece. Clearly at the top of their game, all - but vastly different souls.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it

[@townsendjean]

I've always been impressed with Horowitz's delicate approach to Schubert including this sonata. His rendition of the 3rd impromptu in his last Vienna concert when he was well into his 80's was so moving it almost seemed like a fitting 'swan song' to a most remarkable life time of superb piano playing.

[@HelenJoannides]

I am a big admirer of Svyatoslav Richter, but from all that recordings I really loved Uchida. You feel how she loves this music and feels so many emotions, hidden in this partitura. Thank you for this video! :)

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you for your comment and contribution to the discussion- and for your kind appreciation

[@vicomtedelomagne]

I found myself sitting next to Ms Uchida at a Brendel concert listening to this music in the 1980's [wierdly the same thing had happened at the Wigmore Hall 3 days earlier, watching Andrew Schiff play Bach - she had the seat immediately in front].

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@vicomtedelomagne wow what a story

[@dylanarslanian1724]

What a wonderful video and tribute to this eternal work.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you!

[@thesius313]

Some of my favorite rendition of this masterpiece: Schnabel: passionate, soulful Kempff: natural, cantabile Klien: gentle, sensitive Haskil: active, bright Haebler: meticulous, delicate Fiorentino: profound, sophisticated Yudina: paranoid, agitated (Of course each of these renditions contain much more information which can not be summarized into two facets. These descriptions are just the impression at the back of my mind.)

[@PearlAcoustics]

That’s a very comprehensive list, with some big names from the past. Thanks for sharing

[@CoolJay77]

Great characterization. Schnabel is my favorite, I will be listening to Fiorentino,, one of the most underrated pianists.

[@musiclassica]

Glad you’re mentioning Ingrid Häbler. She’s absolute top when it comes to Mozart’s and Schubert’s sonatas.

[@thepianocornertpc]

Glad you mentioned these greats..also Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia of course.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@thepianocornertpc indeed

[@user-ys4og2vv8k]

I'll just say this: Schubert is my favorite composer, and his last three piano sonatas easily bring me to tears. My preferred version: Schubert, The Late Piano Sonatas, D.958, D.959, & D.960 ~ Maurizio Pollini on DG.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Indeed Pollini - a master pianist

[@prototropo]

If anyone can listen to this final work, even its first few measures, without coming to tears, they have not experienced life in this world.

[@survivertomcat]

Once I've heard Alfred Brendel play Schubert, there's nothing better for me.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for sharing. There’s no doubt, he’s a great pianist.

[@debbiewatermelon]

I could listen 12 hours a day to your videos. Keep them coming.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks! I’ll do my best

[@mikejacobs1635]

I chose the Leif Ove Andsnes interpretation because it seemed the most balanced version and also the best recording (from what can be discerned through KZbin). Keep bringing more of these Harley. They are fantastic!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks Mike, you’re very welcome

[@josephfranceski1041]

Agreed.

[@helenlevann3120]

My facourite piece of music. I love Radu Lupu's performance.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Indeed, I heard it agan recently and appreciated it very much.

[@eugenenizker9597]

Thank you so much for this video. A few years ago, I prepared and offered to my music friends a comparison between quite a few recordings of this great sonata. It is rather long for a comment, but I am sending it for what it worth anyway. Here it is. One of my friends, a very fine and famous musician, told me about a “to die for” recording of Schubert’s D 960 sonata made by Radu Lupu (Decca, 1994). I listened to this recording three times. It is indeed “to die for”. A bottomless deepness of interpretation. Unbelievable integrity of the form - it’s impossible to stick a needle! Colors, phrasing… But most importantly, Lupu does not play this sonata, he speaks or whispers it to us. It is like a close friend has a very quiet and personal conversation with me, revealing woes that he cannot share with anyone else. Yes, I feel he speaks to me and to me only while listening to this recording. Amazing. Immediately, I embarked upon vertical listening. Below is the “log” of me comparing different interpretations of this great sonata. But I have three comments to make first: 1. Not all musicians play the repeats in the first movement. Everyone has his or her reasons for omitting them, of course, but I always miss the repeats is they are omitted. 2. The thirds in the 5th and 13th bars are not part of the theme. Not only it is clear from the text, but the bar 23 removes all doubts (if there were any). Why many musicians, even very big ones, do not make any distinction between the theme and these thirds is beyond me. 3. A famous phrase in bars 112 and 331 is written in demisemiquavers. If Schubert wanted an arpeggio here, he would say so. However, he wrote demisemiquavers. Yet many pianists play a brilliant arpeggio instead of demisemiquavers thus breaking the very fabric of the music narrative. Again, I don’t understand the reason behind it. Now, here is what I think after listening to this Sonata for a few hours a day in the span of about three weeks. -- First, I listened to the famous recording by Richter, made during a 4-days recording session in Salzburg (1972). Richter offers a completely different concept of the sonata, and not only due to a “sluggish” tempo. It seems at first that the pianist loses the integrity of the first movement because it is so slow, but no, little by little a listener is getting involved into this way of narration. I like it, but still Richter’s 1st movement seem a bit more straightforward and “simpler” than what Lupu offers. The second movement is charming though with beautiful, singing sound. The unexpectedly high tempo in Scherzo is a bit more elegant than in Yudina’s recording. But Leonskaja owns this Scherzo, no doubts in my mind (see below). Richter ends with a very elegant 4th movement in “normal” tempo. What is unclear to me in all this is the concept for the entire sonata. I also compared this recording with the live recording in Prague, made the same year; they are very similar. I wanted to compare them to an early recording (Moscow, live,1957). I think it’s the least interesting of the three. -- Andras Schiff (posted on KZbin in Oct, 2020). I think this recording is less interesting than the one I heard during his recital in Vancouver four years ago. I was breathless. It was one of the best Schubert that I have ever heard. In the recording though Schiff starts the first movement almost in a heroic way, then shifting to a more lyric one, coming back to a heroic mood closer to the end. Interesting. He plays the second movement with a charming tone, but the tempo is a bit higher than I would prefer. Middle part in the Scherzo is delightful. The entire sonata is very elegant, but I miss the drama. I appreciate that he has a different concept of it. -- Clara Haskil (seems to be a late recording; 1951?). I had to listened to this recording three times because it is absolutely fantastic. Beyond limits. It is hard to believe that one can play like that at all. I think the colors are richer than in Radu Lupu’s recording. It is a different concept, maybe closer to what Schubert had in mind although we cannot know it. To me, the most amazing in this recording is the «Sturm und Drang» type of a flame. And these flame and passion come from a horribly ill woman that was supposed to be bed-ridden! ...To be continued

[@PearlAcoustics]

A marvellous contribution to the topic! Thanks too for your kind appreciation

[@aspeck_of_dust_from_alien_land]

@@PearlAcoustics Somehow the second part of my comment disappeared. If you deleted it because it's too long it's OK.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@aspeck_of_dust_from_alien_land hi, I didn’t delete it at all. How annoying. It wasn’t too long, as far as I am concerned. I have no idea what happened. Strange.

[@eugenenizker9597]

@@PearlAcoustics Sorry, it somehow recovered for me. Never mind, it's probably a fluke. Just FYI, I have a "Music" playlist on my channel where I post or report rare recordings.

[@maryhiscott]

😊

[@Jose-ku2ek]

Dear Harley. Thank you very much for this video. Greatly appreciated. I usually do not participate in the comments section but this time is different. I knew nothing about the N 21, had no idea. After a few seconds I was in pursue of a new addition to my collection, especially because of movements 1 and 2. This time is different because you went to a concert by Andsnes and a friend invited me to concert of… Maria João (Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal). And playing what? Schubert (a Schubertiade ??) and in the program there it was, the N 21. Time and gravity were suspended by a few moments and I did float in space. There are proofs. Thanks, Best, José

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome

[@gordoncaldwell5597]

I heard Rudolf Serkin play this in 1977. My spine and my scalp still tingle whenever I hear this work. Thank you so much for helping to deepen my appreciation of this beautiful piece of art.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome. Thank you

[@typetersen8809]

Elisabeth Leonskaya.......for mine, captures the essence of that magical first theme of D960 in the most logical and profound manner.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for the recommendation

[@quaver1239]

Many years ago I learnt to love this sonata by listening to Rudolf Serkin every single day on my way to and from work - for a year! Have enjoyed many recordings since then, but Serkin remains my one love. Thank you so much for this delightful analysis of various performances; now I must broaden my horizons.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your appreciation. The beauty of knowing one version so well, is that it gives you a massive foundation on which to build. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@stasmichalczak1705]

Beautiful content, I could listen to lectures like that regarding every single piece of classical music. I'm waiting for more😊

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks a lot 😊 I will be covering other genres too but classical will always be at the core.

[@warrenletendre2462]

Love the deep dive into these wonderful composers. I’ve really enjoyed the series .

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks!

[@michaelattwell7502]

For me, Wilhelm Kempff is still the greatest interpreter of both Beethoven and Schubert. His D960 is especially impressive. He pays very careful attention to all the tempi markings eg. ma non troppo and achieves both power and delicacy in the process. Profound and moving.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your contribution to the discussion

[@pauldavies6037]

Yes how many artists actually follow what was on the scores too many variations on these samples for me

[@user-go8qz2gk5d]

Here is a vote against Kempff. While very "beautiful" and even, his Beethoven and Schubert is so small in conception that it misses much of what others, most notably Schnabel, were able to bring out in his music. I guess it sort of like the difference between a mountain guide who takes you for a flawless, enjoyable hike up a alpine trail versus a guide who, with an occasional slip, takes you to the summit of Mount Everest.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@user-go8qz2gk5d thanks for your very interesting contribution to the discussion

[@user-go8qz2gk5d]

All music “stands on its own” and I wholly agree that no performer can make great music “better than it is.” Schnabel made that point many times. But any suggestion that Schnabel “over conceptualized” Beethoven or Schubert is nonsense. He never tried to place his personality in front of the composers. Indeed, he was well known for objecting to performers who felt free to place their ideas over what was to be found in the score. But he was a great musician who, in my opinion, found much more - IN THE MUSIC - than Kempff ever found or even looked for,

[@MarkHenschel-bc3qz]

Harley, thanks so very much for this exploration into the last of Schubert's sonatas. It's wonderful to hear how certain pieces of music get under people's skins and become a part of them. A large fraction of the classical music I love I heard on my clock radio waking me up every morning. There were certain pieces that entranced... as much as they could as I struggled into consciousness. Many I heard several times over the years without knowing what they were or who performed them... just that I thought they were wonderful. Eventually I put names to most of them: Franck's violin sonata, Copland's Quiet City, Brahms' Intermezzo 18 number 2... they were all new to me back in the 1980s. And there was this other piano piece. It was pretty much the best thing I'd ever heard. I never put a name to it until a chance bit of serendipity. I was reading a book by Sir Fred Hoyle, October first is too late. The protagonist was a composer and the story included a lot of discussions about music, one of which was about the late sonatas of Schubert. In particular, the chap went on and on about an andantino in one of them. Hoyle was somewhat vague about the identity of this sonata but I was intrigued. In the local record shops I went through all the recordings and found a sonata that contained an andantino... the 20th... D. 959. The recording was by Arrau. When I got home and put it on to my amazement that was my mystery piano piece. It was better than I remembered (and I later found out that the recording on the radio was by Richard Goode... which I still like, just not as much) I've collected lots of other versions. Arrau's is still best (slower is better to me too). Writer aside: The late great Peter Robinson often included mentions of music in his stories. In one, Before the Poison, he talked Schubert. I wrote to him and his assistant confided that his favourite Schubert performer was Imogen Cooper. She's pretty good. I have to confess that I've neglected the 960. But your essay here has inspired me to delve past my 959 obsession. Thanks for that. Take care.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks Mark. Thanks too for sharing your wonderful story.

[@raymondswadley165]

At 86 years of age, I have listened to this sonata performed by all the greats of the past century. I have discovered, recently, a wonderful, young Korean pianist teaching and performing in Karlsruhe, Germany. Her performance has touched me so deeply that I now compare all other performances with hers. Maybe it’s my age and my close proximity to life’s (in this existence) final stages. Her performance on KZbin is just so utterly beautiful…her approach to the work itself, her stage presence (facial expression, body and hand movement…all so wonderfully graceful) is without peer. I see a wonderful future for this young woman! Her name…Franziska Lee. Watch her video!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment and recommendation. I will put her on my coffee time viewing list. 🙏

[@janicewolk6492]

I think the meaning is regret. I have a dear friend who is a graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory in piano performance and he told me that the modern pianists often aim for speed. The Edition I have of this piece has a diacritic mark over virtually every note. I do not know whether the original manuscript was written with that amount of detail.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@janicewolk6492 thanks for your comment. Hopefully someone will enlighten us?

[@ptdongiovanni]

The love you have for this piece is contagious. I enjoyed D.960 but know I'm in a whole new level of emotion depth thanks to you: aching aspiration, hope...❤Kudos . BTW, it's Maria João Pires for me.👏👏

[@PearlAcoustics]

So pleased you enjoyed it. And I could settle for her too…

[@CoolJay77]

That is a great comparison and I have highly enjoyed the clip. My favorite from your list would be Richter as he draws my mind into a vast deep sea of imagination and thoughts. Schnabel is probably my favorite. I prefer him playing Schubert over his playing of Beethoven. He himself enjoyed playing Schubert more than he did Beethoven, and I think that comes across thru the recordings.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your appreciation and for your comments on Schnabel. Indeed a great, great player

[@bernhardkaltenboeck9894]

Agree to Schnabel. And yes, I also prefer his Schubert interpretations over Beethoven.

[@user-go8qz2gk5d]

Another vote for Schnabel. If you don't know his recording of this work, you need to hear it.

[@thedabler8470]

Maria Joao Pires is my pic, although, all these pianists have such a unique and beautiful take on the emotion in this piece. ❤

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your much appreciated comment.

[@johnpointon4462]

Wonderful.. I enjoy just about every interpretation of these works and appreciate all the different presentations. I always recommend having a listen to Paul Badura-Skoda - he clearly loved Schubert's music. First time I've heard L.O. Andsnes on this. Will be adding it to my collection!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you very much! That’s great to hear

[@wundyboy]

What a treat, thank you for all the effort... and I am really looking forward to the next one!

[@PearlAcoustics]

My pleasure.

[@gabrielbacca381]

What a treat ! it is fascinating how each interpreter brings its own take navigating to the same notes at their own will. I was quite taken by Misuko Ushida's interpretation, it was as if she were holding the notes for a bit there and then very subtlety release them to fill the space. I will listen the whole piece shortly.. I hadn't explore these compositions by Schubert. I had only listened to his Impromptus.... they are magnificent as well. Thank you!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your kind appreciation. I love the impromptus too.

[@gordonwong7158]

Loved your selection of illustrative pieces showing variations and different interpretations. Cannot wait for your next videos.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you so much! I am glad you liked it. The next ‘great recording’ is going to be very different 😉

[@rk41gator]

I absolutely adore this piece and have had the great good fortune to have heard it performed by several pre-eminent pianists.

[@neila7144]

Bravo! Thanks for putting this fascinating presentation together.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks! You’re very welcome

[@luisholsten295]

Thank you for this wonderful video! I was intrigued by your passionate description of the musicians and their approaches to piano playing. This is one of my favourite sonatas and I always thought of it as a rather happy piece. That's why I enjoyed Pires' joyous, anticipatory interpretation the most. However, I was also very touched by Uchida's pensive and introverted take on the first movement. It is amazing to me how a piece (especially from the Classical Era) can sound like an entirely new work of music, if it is played by different (top-class) artists and the chosen pianists were perfect examples for this phenomenon.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed it. There are more to come.

[@Mirovanje12]

What a wonderful comparison between very fine pianists! There is something to recommend each performance but I have to say that I was taken by L.O. Andsnes, whom I'd not heard before. His treatment of the first movement felt very soulful and the tempo was right on the money, in my opinion. Thanks for posting this video - love the content!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you for your very kind appreciation. And for your contribution to the discussion too

[@myb61]

May I suggest the fabulous interpretation by Maurizio Pollini (Deutsche Grammophon 1987) which is my absolute favorite. Thank you for this great moment of music anyway. MJ Pires and S Kovacevich are breathtaking too!!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Absolutely you can. Good choice in Pollini

[@aristomenisxv5213]

I am very thankful to you!!! Through these years that I have subscribed to your channel I have learned so much and not only about gear but also about various aspects of music and its essence. This is what a KZbin channel should be like. Thanks again.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You are so welcome! Thanks

[@russelljohn5258]

Thank you for the video. I've beeen listening to this sonata since a kid, now not a kid at 77 yo. I've heard many live performances of it and have four or five recordings. In the very early days of 33 rpm lp's my dad bought our first lp record, Schnabel's Angel recording of this. I still listen to it. Still there are many versions I have not heard yet, including the Maria Joao Pires recording that I liked here. I also like and have the Leif Ove Andsnes. This sonata is a long walk, one full of surprises, sudden beauty, many emotions. If I could have only the music of one composer, it would be Schubert's. Thanks again for your well done video!

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome. Thanks too for your very interesting contribution to the topic. I was very seriously thinking about Schnabel and or Rubinstein.

[@josephfranceski1041]

I love this video! Thank you for this, and bring on more and more.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome. It is my intention to keep going, but it’s quite a lot of work 😉. The next video will be in Ravel’s piano concerto in G Major.

[@aryanazih8867]

Your love and passion for music are above and beyond . So admirable. I can't get enough of your videos Thank you, sir 🙏 ☺️ 🙌

[@PearlAcoustics]

So nice of you. Thank you! I am so glad you enjoy them

[@bigol7169]

This is a fantastic video. Thank you for the calming and sensitive comparison! Richter’s utterly breaks my heart, while Uchida’s transfixes and hypnotises me, the warmth and timelessness lifts my soul!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your kind appreciation

[@LouisEmery]

I page-turned this for Menaham Pressler in the late 90s for a work-place recital. I was pretty amazed at hearing that sonata (and him) just sitting next to him. I learned it, more or less, in the next few months.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Lovely story, thanks for sharing

[@louise_rose]

For a long time and far into the 20th century, Schubert was underrated as a piano solo (or piano four hands) composer - apart from a few well-known works, he landed in the shadow of Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin. I think that only began to change for real in the 1960s/70s, or so...I've always been appreciative of him. Aged thirteen and a young classical music enthusiast I bought the beautiful boxed set of Wilhelm Kempff playing all of Schubert's piano sonatas, a stately 9-LP set released on DG in 1978 to ecelebrate both the 150 years since Schubert's passing and Kempff's fifty years of recording for DG; he played not only the completed sonatas but also the mauny unfinished works from the composer's years of development (the finished movements of these) culminating with the magnificent C major Reliquie sonata from early 1825. The three final sonatas are the crowning glory of the entire set, of course. It's still one of my most cherished classical record sets, a wonderful journey through his development, and Kempff's tasteful moving, sometimes chamber-like playing is beautiful (I also have Richter's recording of the B flat sonata on a CD set with him). The funny thing is, I have had the set for forty years, in its original edition (with two booklets, one about Schubert and his piano music and one about Kempff) but last year I came upon another copy of the same set, at a thrift shop, still wrapped in plastic after all these years. Someone had been given it as a gift but never played it, I guess (there have been re-releases but I'm fairly sure that none of these was an exact replica of the original edition, with both booklets, and they even have the same article numbers: 2740 132 - I checked with Discogs which has several versions of the set). I bought it for the equal of around £4 , and now have two copies of this beloved set...It's amazing that one of them travelled for forty years without even being unwrapped and played, isn't it? 😸

[@PearlAcoustics]

What an amazing find! Thanks for sharing your comment

[@maryhiscott]

😊

[@osbert43]

What a wonderful presentation of these performers. Thank you so much for your efforts here! Ah, the D.960. For so many years I have had only two recordings of this. The Wilhem Kempf recording from 1967 gives me that dream like Schubertian magic I can happily live with, (yes, I’m old fashioned)and my other go to is Alfred Brendel, who takes it in a more scholastic direction. But to your review!!! I must now seek and obtain the Richter and the Andsnes, as you have awakened a musical joy heard here that needs further discovery.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you, I am so glad you appreciated this talk

[@h-mh93]

The box set with the complete piano sonatas by Schubert from Kempff is my prize possession - I return to it time and time again - and every visit makes me apprecitate it more.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@h-mh93 that’s a lovely thing to own.

[@tatjanamarinkovic43]

For Schubert's or Mozart's piano pieces, Maria Joao Pires is my first choice, always. Thank You for this video!

[@PearlAcoustics]

You're very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it

[@delflorida2480]

Clara Haskil is considered one of the greatest Mozartian pianists.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@delflorida2480 indeed

[@tatjanamarinkovic43]

@@delflorida2480 yes, Clara Haskil was really great

[@TheAboriginal1]

Hello, I've just discovered your channel. What an incredible talk and incredible amount of research and preparation put into making this. Thank you for sharing. I've subscribed!!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you. That’s very kind.

[@thorenjohn]

Wonderful, thoughtful comparison. Thank you so much.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You are so welcome!

[@andrewgilbert8806]

Jeno Jando on the Naxos label is outstanding! He is lyrical with the beautiful Schubert singing tone, and technically superb. He honours the composer with each work and his Schubert is superb. Enjoy 👍🏻

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your recommendation

[@deechumlew1605]

Jeno Jando is grossly underrated. He deserves better recognition.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@deechumlew1605 thanks for the tip

[@margaretnoble4805]

I, too, love the Jeno Jando recording. Your description.. "lyrical with the beautiful Schubert singing tone" perfectly expresses my appreciation of his interpretation of this sonata.

[@ftumschk]

That was fascinating! Some great interpreters there, and it was interesting to hear how two renowned Mozartians like Uchida and Pires approached this piece. Pires seemed to hark back to Mozart, whereas Uchida's Schubert has more of a Beethovenian tinge to my ears. Both interpretations are legitimate, of course, given Schubert's heritage, and I enjoyed both of their performances. I'll certainly seek out those recordings.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks. Glad you appreciated it

[@sanfordpress8943]

This presentation has been wonderful. Thank you.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome. So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to give your feedback

[@france4me117]

This is absolutely brilliant the way to study such an underrated composer. To my liking as a pianist myself, I seem to relate to Maria Joao Pires rendition to this wonderful Piano Sonata No. 21, in B flat. My favourite composers would be Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy, S. Rachmaninov, Jean Sibelius and JS Bach. Thank you for such a brilliant video as I have just subscribed. I so love F. Schubert's Ständchen (Zögernd leise) D920 as it is rather energetic and so super lovely from his song books :) ❤❤❤❤

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you very much for your kind comment and appreciation. Thanks too for the tip!

[@Enri45100]

The first time I heard this composition ( the first movement) my thoughts were "stunningly beautiful melodic material - sweet and emotional- but why it goes on and on for so long with so many repeats?" Your video helps me to understand why. He was facing his untimely death.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Glad you appreciated it

[@sdr1769]

Enjoyed this thoroughly. Wonderful music.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you. So pleased.

[@jblesser]

Thank you for this absolutely delightful video

[@PearlAcoustics]

Glad you enjoyed it. You’re very welcome

[@annigjestaples8997]

Such beautiful music! Thank you for sharing

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome

[@MarcoRistuccia]

That's been a very interesting voyage through the No. 21. It's like Schubert is continuously knocking at our doors: "Hey, do you her me? I'm here. I exist!". Toc toc toc...

[@PearlAcoustics]

😀 nice.

[@kinglear5952]

What an outlandishly generous public service talks like this are. I love your video's, especially this one. 44 entrancing minutes. 😀

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you. I am so glad you appreciated it.

[@VAMR-vc7xg]

Fully agree - what a wonderful composition

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks

[@rsmickeymooproductions4877]

Great video. I love the way you compare the recordings in a detailed manner. Richter without a doubt injects the passion and aggression but on the flip side can become rather fatiguing after a while. I think your top choice is spot on. A lovely balanced recording. A great all rounder and probably my favourite for everyday listening.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks! I much appreciated your comment

[@user-ri2oj6yz6c]

I thought Alfred Brendell was the champion of this sonata. But now i see he isn't the only one.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Indeed.

[@davidrieger4397]

Thank You for this Schubert Sonata #21 and the variety of player interpretations. Schubert’s genius is evident in this piece. I remember hearing Emil Bome playing Shubert’s Impromptu No 2 in e-flat in 1948 in Bayview, MI, and have never forgotten it. His music touches my soul and stays with me. This piece will also stay with me.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome. 1948, that was a while ago!

[@Acoustic-Rabbit-Hole]

So grateful for such a thorough analysis of the B-flat sonata! Also, to keep in mind that B and B-flat are very moody, dreamy keys to begin with. They are transitional (B to C is the vocal register-shift from mid to high voice). B-flat is magical (see "Blue Velvet" by Bobby Vinton from 1950's radio). B-natural is Spiritual: as in the "Ghostbusters" song by Ray Parker Jr. (Or take even JS Bach's "Mass in B-minor to take focus of B to spiritual realm of the B-note. Bach wrote it one year before his death. Again, references of the B-note/Magenta to death itself. Technically, magenta doesn't even exist ON the rainbow. It is only by mixing the violet WITH the red that our brain interprets "magenta."). I am convinced that our hearing is spectral, beginning with the robust fire of middle C, and following the color spectrum all the way to the end of the rainbow; the almost piercing or "laser-focused" sound of magenta: B-natural.) B-flat I see as purple. (Before magenta comes violet/purple). Take "Purple Rain" by Prince & the Revolution, to use another example from popular music. It is not a co-incidence that Schubert and Bach referred to the B's in their last days! / I hope that my views give some insight into this amazing piece of written music. For those interested in note-to-color analysis, do visit me here in uToob at: The Acoustic Rabbit Hole.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you for your comment and contribution to the discussion

[@laurelhardy4064]

If a jeannie appears and gives me three wishes, one of them would be, that I go back in time and hear how Schubert himself played this beautiful music, thanks for the video.

[@PearlAcoustics]

You and me both!

[@ernietarling5829]

He wasn't a great pianist. Very often he couldn't actually play his more complicated pieces.@@PearlAcoustics

[@manueltamencaiado783]

So good. I normally go for Kempff’s intepretation. The quality of the recording is not great but it gives it some mystery, intensifying the feeling we get of this introspectiveness, of Schubert having a final celebration of life, knowing his death prematurely awaits him…

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment

[@johngreen1176]

For me, one of the most evocative parts of the work is at the end of the finale, where the theme is interrupted by gently tolling chords in the bass.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Indeed, a very moving point

[@hamidrezahabibi8111]

I’m not very fond of the early romantic era and not very much into the music 🎶 of Schubert; but I think 🤔 I’m going to focus 🧘‍♀️ on the Maestro’s music 🎶 more often because of this magnificent video. 🫵🎶💎✨♾️👂

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks! Enjoy the journey

[@alvodin6197]

What a conformist!!.

[@PrinsTan]

From Schubert, if you want to look into the future of modulations and musical landscapes which aren’t used for another hundred years, listen to his second movement in f# minor of his last A piano sonata, his first movement of the Reliquie piano sonata, his piano trio in Eb (2nd movement, 4th movement), his 4th impromptu in f minor, and his Fantasia in f minor for four hands.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@PrinsTan great tip

[@stevenpatterson794]

The one that I can't live without is the Marta Deyanova version on Nimbus. Heart wins. I love the journey as she creates it. Perhaps I'd have a different take if I isolated different movements or listened as a student but time and again I find my self moved by the heart ache, beauty, and power. Marta opens here in her playing. As I hear it she completely traverses the gamut of emotions I now know were of a man both reviewing and releasing his life. It's quite a roller coaster and a very human tribute. 8:21

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment and contribution to the discussion

[@rosemaryclarke6250]

Thank you very much for this wonderful video

[@PearlAcoustics]

You are very welcome

[@mikehenson819]

I’ve much enjoyed this video. What a marvelous revelation in sound ! I’m deeply inspired.

[@PearlAcoustics]

So glad!

[@Leo-Crespi]

Meraviglioso. This journey for sure helped me to develop my own sensibility for classical music, a little but important step thanks to the comparisons. My favorite by far Richter, also the sound of his recording didn't annoyed me at all, quite the contrary, very intense and real. Thanks again for this (your Italian is good).

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it.

[@ulrichgorlich6292]

Great! Thank you

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Fascinating. Merci beaucoup.

[@PearlAcoustics]

It’s a pleasure - thank you too

[@viz8746]

I mean Schubert Piano Sonatas are structurally impeccable and profound and very moving, especially the late Sonatas, but lingering Schubertian subdued pathos is no match for Beethoven’s Late Sonatas written when the composer was almost totally deaf or going deaf. I would regard Beethoven Op. 101 as perhaps the most beautiful piece ever written for the piano, though Chopin’s Noctures come achingly close, with Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues a close 3rd. I still remember listening to Richard Goode’s interpretation of Beethoven Op. 101 on Nonesuch as a 21 year old in my junior year of college back in 1993 (when I was more or less an absolute novice with classical music) and being profoundly affected by it, before I knew anything about “tone poems”.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for this wonderful insight to the discussion

[@felipemazon657]

Si yo estuviera viviendo el momento vital de Schubert tocaría como lo hace Ove Andsnes. Magnifique ! Gracias por el vídeo ❤

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome

[@eccentric363]

Thank you so much for introducing this beutiful piece to us. I enjoyed it.

[@PearlAcoustics]

So pleased to hear this. 🙏

[@jonathanwyble4227]

All these performers are verifiably great and I enjoy all these recordings. An argument could be made that MJP's approach is the most classical/early romantic in character, though Andsnes and Uchida also seem strongly compelled to interpret the piece within an early romantic aesthetic.

[@PearlAcoustics]

So true

[@andretim75]

First of all : you put a wonderful and so detailed and information-packed video up here ! Thanks so much for it ! By the way - also my favorite piano sonata by Schubert !! Many of Schuberts chamber music works are among the very finest of all time in this category of classical music in my opinion. The big String Quintett with 2 Cellos ( which I played quite often myself) comes to mind, also a lot of amazing Sting-quartets, piano trios, the Octet , so many more ( Violin sonatas and the Fantasy - what a piece, and highly demanding ! ). Among musicians in the classical world Schubert has one of the very highest ranks for sure and we are more than grateful to have this wonderful, absolutely unique music by this great composer ! When you dive into his music more and more, it will always bring new aspects, and always give a depth of emotions which is hard to find elsewhere !!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you so much for your kind appreciation, and also for your contribution to the topic

[@obscurazone]

Beautiful video. On the subject of sad untimely early departures, I heard that Patrick Miller had passed at the beginning of September (I'm from Leeds myself, and I couldn't help notice your Sugden amps). It's lovely seeing them being used and appreciated with such exquisite music and of course your magestic speakers. My dream setup in fact. Thanks for your wonderful insights as ever. Greetings from the Netherlands :)

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you very much for your kind appreciation. In fact we are releasing a video in Sugden next week. I recorded it two days before the sad passing of Patrick. We’ll be exclusively using Sugden amplifiers at the Dutch HiFi event on the 6th and 7th of October. And of course, we’ll be dedicating our video and weekend activities to Patrick’s memory. The good news is, Sugden will continue.

[@sella7211]

Love this ❤Thank you 👍

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome 😊

[@hendrik007007]

Brilliant video!

[@PearlAcoustics]

Many thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

[@Romanialong]

Thank you maestro. Great lesson!

[@PearlAcoustics]

My pleasure!

[@victorlloyd5271]

I have six different recordings of this wonderful piece. I think my favorite is probably the Radu Lupu that was recorded in 1994. The most interesting of the recordings I have is the 2014 recording with András Schiff playing the sonata on a fortepiano. Your presentation moves me to look for the Kovacevich recording. Thank you very much for this presentation!

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome

[@louise_rose]

It's fun to compare different recordings of the same work. I don't have too many such parallels in my personal record collection, but one I do have several of is Beethoven's final piano sonata, op.111 (with that amazing second movement which at one point moves into a proto-ragtime groove and then takes off into outer spacetime). That one I have six versions of, but the favourite remains the first one I heard, by Alfred Brendel on an LP from around 1970, with great dynamic and artistic control and carefully graded use of syncopations here and there through the entire work.

[@PearlAcoustics]

@@louise_rose Hi Louise, thanks for sharing your love of opus 111. Maybe I will cover it one day. Enjoy the music

[@mamborickyclassicalmusicac4733]

Wonderful... thanks

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re very welcome

[@roxxyvoxxy5796]

This is a marvellous video, thank you. Clifford Curzon's version is one I heard 50+ years ago, and I return to it over and over again. I find I long for it whenever I'm listening to other versions if I'm not convinced by them. I wiil seek out the Andsnes version, I was very impressed with that on your video.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks, you’re very kind

[@nickgooch9357]

Yes, me too. He slips into the music in such a way that it seems Schubert is there with you. I also love Radu Lupu's version, which I came to a little later.

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🤗THANKS HARLEY ,FOR SHARING SCHUBERT 👍👍💚💚💚

[@PearlAcoustics]

You’re welcome

[@RogierYou]

You are an amazing teacher 👍

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thank you! 😃

[@michelangelomulieri5134]

Radu Lupu… the greatest Schubert interpreter of the last forty years

[@neilford99]

Oh really??

[@user-wo5yo1yf2e]

thank you !

[@PearlAcoustics]

You're welcome!

[@LeonFleisherFan]

I have dozens of recordings and absolutely love the two by Leon Fleisher (from 1954 and 2004 respectively). The interpretations by Sviatoslav Richter (there are so many, e.g. 1972 studio and 24 September 1972 live in Prague) and Vladimir Sofronitsky (14 October 1960 in Moscow) are fascinating and visionary.

[@PearlAcoustics]

Thanks for your comment and sharing your recommendations

[@davidschestenger3366]

Great comment and explanation we could or not agree is not important Your explanation and love for Schubert is great, and wonderful you share it with us Thank you for sharing beauty

[@PearlAcoustics]

Many thanks! So glad you appreciated it