Schubert: Sonatina in A minor, D385 (Op. posth. 137 No. 2)

Schubert was a competent violinist and violist and his four violin sonatas pose no problems for skilled players. It is strange, then, that so few really recommendable recordings of them have been made. Apart from these beautiful interpretations by Martzy and Antonietti, which have become legendary, one can find individual works by Fritz Kreisler and Sergei Rachmaninov, or Josef Suk and Jan Panenka, but few others that catch the essential simplicity of the pieces. The Rondo brillant and the Fantasy on Schubert’s song Sei mir gegrüsst, on the other hand, are among the most difficult works in the violin-and piano repertoire, written for the shortlived Bohemian virtuoso Josef Slavík. Adolf Busch and Rudolf Serkin were famous for playing them but such big names as Jascha Heifetz and David Oistrakh have fallen flat on their faces, trying to unravel the secrets of the Fantasy. Martzy and Antonietti bring beautiful, meticulously prepared playing to all half dozen pieces. Their interpretations, which are well balanced and clearly recorded for the time, have an inherent strength but also pliancy, transparency and unsentimental sweetness where required.

From the booklet note Tully Potter, 2011

This album together with volume 2 completes the collaboration between Julia Fischer and Pentatone. Since all works which Schubert wrote for Violin and Piano are insufficiënt to fill 2 CDs, Volume 2 will show Julia Fischer as pianist as well (in the 4-hands piece: Fantasie in F minor D 940/op. 103).

The second Volume will be released not later than April 2010 All Julia Fischer albums on Pentatone have been bestsellers. Martin Helmchen’s last 2 albums were both Music Choice of the month and the “Trout”album got a 10/10 review from David Hurwitz on ClassicsToday.com (plus excellent reviews in many other publications).

This CD includes all of Schubert’s early works for violin and piano.

Süßmuth and Zichner have been performing together for more than ten years in the Aperto Quartet.

They are renowned chamber musicians and also perform with the Vogler Quartett and Petersen Quartett.

This release of live and studio recordings features some of Mieczyslaw Horszowski‘s very rare chamber music performances based on original LPs which have been generously offered by Mrs. Horszowski.

Schubert composed these three charming violin and piano sonatas (also called ‘sonatinas’) when he was nineteen, and like much of his early work they are suffused with the spirit of Mozart. When they were published eight years after his death, they were advertised as ‘sonatinas’, doubtless as a lure to the lucrative amateur market, but the term is misleading.

The three-movement D major has something of the miniature about it, but the more substantial four-movement A minor and G minor sonatas are certainly not light-weight. The graceful and melodious D major sonata is very Mozartian in derivation. The Sonata in A minor, Schubert’s favourite key for expressions of pathos, has a more individual flavour, and like the Sonata in G minor, hints at the poignancy and passion of the composer’s maturity.

The soloists on this recording are the outstanding Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer and Russian-Austrian pianist Oleg Maisenberg. They have been regular recital partners for many years, and give stylish and insightful performances of these works.

Franz Schubert wrote a cycle of variations for flute and piano based on his own lied, “Trock'ne Blumen” (Dried Flowers) from “Die Schöne Müllerin”. These were the only pieces he wrote for this combination of instruments. Felix Renggli and Mikayel Balyan have also taken Schubert’s Sonatine in A minor and Sonata in A major and made their own arrangements of these pieces originally composed for violin and piano.