Schubert: Complete Piano Music For Four Hands (son

Tal & Groethuysen

Sony Classical proudly announces an uncommonly attractive new batch of reissues from the CBS/Sony and RCA Victor/BMG back catalogues. This latest installment of the popular series showcases the reissue of a path-breaking composer edition as well as recordings by some of the labels’ greatest artists of the last half century. Schubert’s music for four hands has been singled out by experts as his most original contribution to the keyboard repertoire. In works like the Grand Duo and F minor Fantasy, Schubert took a popular form of domestic music-making, already ennobled by Mozart, and turned it into a genre of concert-hall stature. Today’s foremost interpreter of these marvellous pieces is the Israeli-German piano duo of Yaara Tal and Andreas Groethuysen. Sony Classical is now, for the first time, releasing all of their Schubert recordings, made in 1993–95 at Grafenegg Castle in Austria. Gramophone’s reviewer wrote that it is “a joy” to hear this repertoire “done by great musicians and I can’t think of any duo partnership currently before the public that surpasses this one.” The critic also singled out the exceptionally clear and firm sound of the instrument, a large Fazioli Model 308 piano which the artists consider necessary to re-create the “symphonic ambitions” and dynamic range of this splendid music.CD 1Overture in F major D 6758 Variations on a Theme from Hérold’s Opera Marie in C major D 908Rondo in D major D 6083 Marches héroïques D 602Fantasia in F minor D 940CD 2Introduction, 4 Variations on an Original Theme and Finale in B-flat major D 603 (968 A)Divertissement à l’hongroise in G minor D 8186 Polonaises D 824CD 3Allegro in A minor “Storms of Life” D 9474 Polonaises D 5998 Variations on a French Song in E minor D 624Divertissement sur des motifs originaux français in E minor D 823CD 46 Grandes Marches D 819Rondo in A major D 951CD 5Sonata in C major “Grand Duo” D 812Grande Marche funèbre in C minor D 859Grande Marche héroïque in A minor D 885CD 68 Variations on an Original Theme in A-flat major D 813Sonata in B-flat major D 6173 Marches militaires D 7332 Marches caractéristiques D 968 B (886)CD 7Fantasia in G major D 1Fantasia in G minor D 9Fantasia in C minor D 48Overture in G minor D 668Deutscher with 2 Trios and 2 Ländler D 6184 Ländler D 814March in G major “March for Children” D 928Allegro moderato and Andante D 968Fugue in E minor D 952Yaara Tal & Andreas Groethuysen piano