Concert
J. S. Bach: from the Partita in D major BWV 828
F. Schubert: Sonata in D major D850
Wei-Yi Yang, pf.
Recorded Live 29/11/2017. Horowitz Piano Series at Memorial Hall / New Haven CT USA
The Partita in D major is a glorious work. It may be seen as a summation of Bach’s achievements in the genre of instrumental suites. His use of different textures, his increasingly frequent recourse to harmony and to ‘gallant’ melodies rather than the imitative counterpoint that had formerly held sway, the great virtuosity he requires and, even more importantly, the profundity he achieves make these works not only the apex but also the logical conclusion of this tradition of transforming a suite of dances into great art.
F. Schubert: Sonata in D major D850
Allegro vivace
Con moto
Scherzo. Allegro vivace
Rondo. Allegro moderato
Wei-Yi Yang, pf.
Recorded Live 29/11/2017. Horowitz Piano Series at Yale University / School of Music / Sprague Memorial Hall / New Haven CT USA
It is a cruel fact that much of Schubert’s output languished unpublished for years after his death. His “Great” C-major Symphony was unknown until discovered among the late composer’s papers by Schumann in 1838. And of Schubert’s 12 complete solo piano sonatas (and almost as many incomplete sonata fragments), only three saw publication during the composer’s lifetime. Eclipsed by Beethoven’s work in the medium, Schubert’s sonatas fell into obscurity for nearly a century before being recovered by pianists and audiences alike.
The Sonata in D major, D. 850 was the product of what might have been the last untroubled time in Schubert’s life before the darknesses of his final years. In May of 1825, following a period of ill health, Schubert embarked on a journey away from his native Vienna to the spa towns of Gmunden and Gastein, with side trips to Linz and Salzburg. The spectacular scenery of craggy peaks, green valleys, and mountain lakes sparked an explosion of work.
have been so majestically and unfailingly attained earlier, what remains should be gentleness and release.