Franz Schubert:
Complete Works for Violin and Piano, Vol. 2.
The surprise in this CD is the fact that beyond being a wonderful violinist, Julia Fischer is also a pianist! In Volume 1 of the Complete Works for Violin, we heard Ms. Fischer playing the three Sonatinas; as such in Volume 2, she provides the following program: Schubert:
- Grand Duo for Violin and Piano in A Major, D574
- Fantasie in C major for violin and piano, D934
- Fantasie in F minor for piano duet, D940
What makes these works so special is Schubert’s depth of feeling cloaked behind simplicity of expression. We do not get the kind of technical challenges in this music as Beethoven requires in his violin and piano sonatas. However, there is plenty of challenge to express feeling.
Ms. Fischer and pianist Martin Helmchen do a nice job of presenting this music to us. There are many recordings of the Fantasie for piano duo, including the one I know best with Kissin and James Levine. This Fischer rendition is satisfying, but I did not find it memorable, as such.
There is a lot of pathos in this music, and a lot of sadness that Schubert was expressing in this work. The performance captures some of this emotion, yet not in a way that caused me, as the listener, to be riveted by it.
Here is Julia Fischer playing the music of Franz Schubert:
