Barry Douglas - Schubert: Works For Solo Piano, Vol. 1 (2014)

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Barry Douglas - Schubert: Works For Solo Piano, Vol. 1 (2014)

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Having produced two highly regarded discs of solo works by Brahms, Barry Douglas, an exclusive Chandos artist, now embarks on the complete solo piano works by Franz Schubert. This first volume features two large-scale works, the ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy and the Sonata in B flat major, alongside two Schubert songs transcribed by Liszt.

The ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy draws material from Schubert’s song ‘Der Wanderer’, a setting of a poem about an alienated traveller whom fate dealt a wretched hand and who sees himself ‘a stranger everywhere’. The fantasy genre allowed Schubert freedom from conventional formal structures and the ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy is unpredictable and extrovert. The Sonata in B flat on the other hand is a much more inward-looking piece. Unlike many other pieces by Schubert it bears no dedication to a particular performer and was likely written purely for his private satisfaction. Composed in 1828, it is one of his so-called three ‘Last Sonatas’, works considered among his most important masterpieces. Completing the disc are transcriptions by Liszt of two contrasting songs by Schubert. Liszt preserves Schubert’s vocal line and a sense of religious devotion in Du bist die Ruh, and under Liszt’s treatment Ungeduld becomes a vehicle for speed and agility.

Composer: Franz Schubert, Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, Franz Liszt
Performer: Barry Douglas

Reviews: No sooner did Barry Douglas undertake a Brahms cycle for Chandos than he begins this one devoted to Schubert, starting with the last sonata and the Wanderer-Fantasie, separated by two Liszt transcriptions of Schubert songs. The sonata’s long opening Molto moderato unfolds as if it were playing itself. Fewer dynamic inflections occur than we hear from Leon Fleisher or Leif Ove Andsnes, yet Douglas’ flexible modifications of pulse flow easily and naturally. His unorthodox speeding up of the first ending’s dotted two-note phrases underlines the music’s sudden interruptive impact, setting the stage for a more animated repeat of the exposition.

The Andante sostenuto really moves, too, especially in Douglas’ ardent treatment of the central A major section. In contrast to the dry-point suppleness that Leif Ove Andsnes brings to the Scherzo, Douglas uses dabs of sustain pedal to lift the high-register main theme several more notches above ground, while saving just a few strategic heavy accents for the Trio section’s off-beat bass notes. The finale is consistently taut and texturally clear, with unusual distinction to the scurrying left-hand accompaniments.

If Douglas doesn’t grasp the Wanderer-Fantasie’s thick chordal tuttis and gnarly figurations with the ferocity of Richter’s still amazing 1963 EMI studio recording (few do, to be fair!), his technical assurance and symphonic projection of structure and tempo nevertheless prove impressive. A cogent example of what I mean occurs in the Adagio variations, where Douglas’ previously discussed strong left hand returns as an anchoring focal point around which the Adagio’s decorative right-hand runs dance.

In Liszt’s transcription of “Ungeduld” from Die schöne Müllerin, Douglas’ emphatic articulation of the triplet chord accompaniment hammers the point home to a fault, whereas Leslie Howard’s gentler precision allows the melody to soar more effectively. Conversely, Douglas’ otherwordly legato phrasing in “Du bist die Ruh” nearly makes you forget the original vocal setting. In sum, Douglas’ intelligent virtuosity and individually idiomatic Schubertian voice bode well for Volume 2 and beyond.