Grosses Festspielhaus
Schubert – Piano Sonata in G
major, D 894
Piano Sonata in C minor, D
958
Daniel Barenboim is to give
three Schubert recitals at this year’s Salzburg Festival. This, the first,
offered two sonatas, the G major, D 894, and the C minor, D 958; the second
will present the Four Impromptus, D 935, and the A major sonata, D 959; in the
third, Barenboim will play the Four Impromptus, D 899, and, inevitably, the
B-flat sonata, D 960. Rightly esteemed in the music of Beethoven and Mozart, despite
sniping from the ‘authentically’ inclined, for some reason Barenboim never
seems to have been quite so acclaimed in the solo piano music of Schubert. This
recital at any rate suggested that his Schubert ought to be similarly honoured.
Barenboim can be
frustratingly variable, of course, both as conductor and as pianist. In both
roles, there can occasionally be a tendency to rely on extraordinary natural
talent, when a little more careful practice would also help. The seriousnesss
of his approach on this occasion was confirmed by the very opening of the G
major sonata. It was characterised by some of the most sheerly beautiful piano
playing I can recall: I do not think Barenboim was using the soft pedal, but
somehow he created a similar effect by touch alone. So much for the claims of
period instrumentalists! More importantly, there was always purpose to the course
of the movement. Here and throughout, Barenboim showed that very same awareness
and ability to communicate the harmonic purpose of a sonata movement that
characterised his recent Beethoven symphony cycle at the Proms. The difference
between Beethoven and Schubert was apparent, the utterly characteristic
modulations and key relations – especially those involving intervals of a third
– both relished and meaningful. Yet one never had the feeling that Schubert was
somehow a poor relation, or at least to be considered as deviating from
Beethoven’s path; Schubert was himself, and all the better for that. (There is,
incidentally, not better illustration of the difference between the piano
writing of the two composers than the spacing of the opening chords to this
first movement and that of the opening chords of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano
Concerto.) The Andante was flowing in
the best sense – that is, not the modern euphemism for recklessly, pointlessly,
fast – and conveyed a real sense of Schubert the Lieder-dramatist, doubtless in part a tribute to Barenboim’s
experience with recitalists from Fischer-Dieskau to Quasthoff. The hushed playing of the third movement
took one’s breath away as surely as Schubert’s earlier modulations, whilst the anticipations of Brahms in rhythmic
inflections of Allegretto gave cause
both for thought and for straightforward enjoyment.
The C minor sonata received
an equally distinguished performance. Again, its opening chords marked out the
character both of movement and work, quite different from its predecessor, and
equally quite different from the C minor daemon of Beethoven. (I know: I cannot
quite help myself making the comparison...) Progression and line were second to
none, again at least as sure as Barenboim’s work as symphonic conductor. The Adagio was possessed of a sublimity
which, if not quite same as that of late Beethoven, was not entirely different
either – and that again was in large part a consequence of harmonic
understanding, as well, of course, as beauty of touch. The third movement
exhibited close kinship, especially in terms of its minuet, with its
counterpart in D 894, some of Barenboim’s playing as delicate as one might hope
for in a Bach musette. The tragedy of the finale as rendered all the more
meaningful on account of its chiaroscuro; tragic drive takes many forms, few of
them as unrelenting as many seem to think. Barenboim showed himself throughout
the evening a master musical dramatist; this was Wagnerian Schubert and all the
better for it. I had doubts about the suitability of the Grosses Festspielhaus
as a venue for a piano recital. His playing drew one in and banished such
thoughts immediately. Why is Barenboim so underrated as a Schubertian?
