Composer: Franz Peter Schubert
Performer: Paul Lewis, Steven Osborne
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Hyperion
Catalogue: CDA67665
Release: 2010
Size: 203 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Allegro in A minor ‘Lebensstürme’, D947
Divertissement in E minor D823a
02. II. Andantino varié in B minor
03. Fugue in E minor D 952
04. Rondo for piano duet in A major, D951
05. Variations in A flat major on a original theme, D813
06. Fantasie in F minor for piano duet, D940
Schubert is unusual and indeed unique among composers in that some of his greatest works are written for piano duet. He wrote as much music for duet as for solo piano, and reaches emotional depths which take this repertoire far away from its domestic origins. The most celebrated of these pieces, the Fantasie in F minor, with its austere yet heartbreaking opening melody and dramatic double fugue, is one of the great piano achievements of the early 19th century. The rest of the works on this disc are much less well-known but equally fascinating.
Who better to commit these works to disc than two of the brighest stars in the British piano scene, Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne? As well as their individual achievements, they also have a long-standing friendship and performing relationship which you will hear reflected in their magisterial performances on this marvellous disc.