Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 13 & 17 D.664 & 850

Alain Planès - piano

1 Sonate n°17 [19] op.53, D.850 (Franz Schubert) Ré majeur / D major / D-dur 1 Allegro 10'20 2 Con moto 13'30 3 Scherzo. Allegro vivace 9'36 4 Rondo. Allegro moderato 9'02 5 Sonate n°13 [15] op. posth.120, D.664 La majeur / A major / A-dur 5 Allegro moderato 7'49 6 Andante 5'06 7 Allegro 7'47

A sovereign serenity. With this CD Alain Planès continues his systematic recording of Schubert’s Sonatas, a musical universe all on its own of which the French pianist has already asserted himself as an explorer of marvellous sensitivity and insight. Quite unlike the sombre introspective brooding of the last works, the Sonatas Nos. 13 and 17 are a faithful reflection of some of the happiest moments of the composer’s life. Dedicated to his friend, the virtuoso Carl Maria Bocklet, the first of them is striking in its brilliance – and its formidable technical difficulty. The second is filled with a deliciously popular freshness, a light-heartedness which we will not find again and which at times brings to mind the famous Trout Quintet.

Price: $22.98