Schubert: Rondo brillant in B minor, D895 (Op. 70)

"Milstein's fine (1973) version with Abbado remains among the more satisfying recordings." Penguin Guide*** (2003) [Tchaikovsky]

“The song-variations at the heart of the Fantaisie put on a good show of polite drawing-room charm, but the strange tremolando introduction strays close to a very late-Schubertian emotional cliff-edge. Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov are particularly successful in that strange, haunting opening.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2006 ****

“In nearly every respect this is outstanding. The Rondo and the Fantasie, both written for the virtuoso duo of Karl von Bocklet and Josef Slawik, can sound as if Schubert were striving for a brilliant, flashy style, foreign to his nature.
Both are in places uncomfortable to play (when first published, the Fantasie's violin part was simplified), but you would never guess this from Faust's and Melnikov's performance; they both nonchalantly toss off any problem passages as though child's play.
The Fantasie's finale and the Rondo are irresistibly lively and spirited, and this duo's technical finesse extends to more poetic episodes – Melnikov's tremolo at the start of the Fantasie shimmers delicately, while the filigree passagework in the last of the variations that form the Fantasie's centrepiece have a delightful poise and sense of ease.
The Sonata's more intimate style is captured just as convincingly; in all three performances Faust and Melnikov observe Schubert's often very detailed, careful expression marks, not as a matter of duty, but as a stimulus to the imagination, as a way of entering more deeply into the music.
The one slight reservation concerns Isabelle Faust's manner of expression. She makes the most of any passionate phrases and is equally convincing at cool, mysterious or dreamlike moments.
But the lyrical phrases in the Rondo's introduction surely demand a more heartfelt utterance.
In the Sonata, too, there are places where one longs for more warmth. This quibble aside, it's a lovely disc, one to listen to over and over again.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The Fantasie's finale and the Rondo are irresistibly lively and scripted, and this duo's technical finesses extends to more poetic episodes - Melnikov's tremolo at the start of the Fantasie shimmers delicately, while the filigree passagework in the last of the variations that form the Fantasie's centrepiece have a delightful poise and sense of ease.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2006

“Alexander Melnikov's bright, at times almost puckish, piano playing is perfectly matched by the violinist Isabel Faust. She is one of the few violinists who virtually always hits the note dead-centre, and her rapport with Melnikov is clear.” Rob Cowan, The Independent

“By any standards this is outstanding playing: mature, accomplished, individual without any tendency to self-aggrandisement and deeply, deeply musical.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2008

“The disc is worth hearing just for the way in which Widmann colours that opening [of the C minor Fantasie] alone, reducing her tone to the slenderest thread, minimising her vibrato and gradually breathing life into the work. It's extraordinary playing, full of imagination and profound intelligence, and just as powerfully effective in the smaller-scale works.” The Guardian, 16th February 2012 *****

“This is a fascinating Schubert recital...It is arguably in the more intense passages of these two works that these players are most compelling, though there's no shortage of virtuosity either, particularly in the finale of the Fantasie. As a duo there is much impress too, not least in their sensitive approach to rubato...a highly reactive, involving interpretation [of the Sonata] and a reminder of the riches that Schubert bequeathed to the violin.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2012

“Widmann and Lonquich are happy to take each piece on its own terms, to mainly winning effect.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2012 ****

“both violinist and pianist seem deeply committed, and they do the best they can to make the music come alive.” MusicWeb International, June 2012

“These three sonatas are all lightweight, but when played with such sweet tone as Julia Fischer brings to them, and such sensitive and responsive pianism as the remarkable young pianist Martin Helmchen commands, the results are delightful.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2009

“Helmchen is adept at pinpointing the crucial harmonies… and his touch is unusually sensitive… Fischer similarly manages to combine restraint with warm expression, and the occasional moments where she plays with more abandon - as in her dramatic first entry in D385 and the ebullient Minute of D403 - stand out the more effectively.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2009