Donald Satz wrote:

>The second movement Andante begins in F major and entails a very short
>theme lasting no more than about 20 seconds in a very slow performance.
>This gorgeous theme is then repeated four times with variation before the
>music takes a temporary turn toward drama and urgency.  There's no doubt
>that repetition through decoration is the foundation of the Andante.
>Typical timings for the movement range from 4' to about 4'30".  Two
>versions use significantly different tempos - Richter and Hough.  Richter
>is over 5'30";

And I thought Ashkenazy was very slow at 4'53". Schubert does mark the
movement "alla breve," so perhaps lingering so long with the variations is
not what the composer intended. I wonder if Don has heard the Radu Lupu, in
which I hear an almost perfect realization of the sonata.

John Dalmas
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