Schubert PIano Sonata in A D959, Moments Musicaux
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR’S CHOICE
There is nothing rushed in the concluding Allegretto, which unfolds with a beguiling sense of leisure. Here, as in the first movement, voicing is exquisite, with the overall sonic terrain sculpted and proportionate. When the presto coda appears like a bolt from the blue, its neat summation leaves one wishing for even more of this spacious rondo…. The Moments musicaux speak with a morning freshness throughout, each imbued with its own unmistakably individual identity.
Gramophone
Steven Osborne’s Schubert is single-minded to a magnificent degree. A pianist of a fierce and uncompromising integrity he will have none of easy options, of softening of outlines and a primarily lyrical stance. Schubert may have been the greatest of all song writers but, as Osborne tells us, he was many things, notably a dramatist on a bold and experimental scale
The Art of Pianists
But no matter where the composer’s emotions lead him, Osborne stands ready and waiting, striding along one moment, stroking the keys the next, and in the rondo finale riding those waves of calm euphoria that were Schubert’s special preserve. This is a deeply rewarding performance.
The Times
He is in no rush at all in the important andantino movement of the sonata. It is the most notable section in the piece betraying its seemingly innocuous ABA form with a central section of unparalleled fury and vehemence. Osborne catches the sad mood of the sarabande-cum-barcarolle with its characteristic lamenting sighs, but it is in the free fantasia of the boiling middle where he really shines. Schubert’s writing is stark and shocking even. Steven Osborne seems to relish those brutal fortissimo chords that are surely meant to jolt the listener.
MusicWeb International
One has a sense of an artist looking for personal answers in a piece of music, always a rewarding auditory experience. Osborne goes beyond past cliches and makes the listener think.
The Critic
The Andantino is thoughtful, introspective rather than purely melancholy in its outer sections before the drama of the middle section builds gradually from a Baroque fantasia into a brutal frenzy. Here, there is a sense of the music only just held in control, that it could break free at any moment, and this creates the most remarkable theatre, providing a stark, almost shocking contrast to the return of the opening theme.
interlude.hk
Steven Osborne … gives an imposing going-places account of the substantial A-major Sonata that is emotionally driven yet also shapely, sensitive and inevitable. Of standout mention is the second-movement Andantino (so innocent as described), its Winterreise-like tread turning to unhinged being especially compelling, startling, ending in shadowy solace
colinscolumn.com
Tracklisting
Piano Sonata in A major D959
Allegro
Andantino
Scherzo: Allegro vivace
Rondo: Allegretto
Moments musicaux D780
No 1 in C major: Moderato
No 2 in A flat major: Andantino
No 3 in F minor: Allegro moderato
No 4 in C sharp minor: Moderato
No 5 in F minor: Allegro vivace
No 6 in A flat major: Allegretto