Schubert doesn't seem to get much exposure on the list(except very recently), and I'm as negligent as anyone in that regard. But I am going to do my part to rectify my neglect by reviewing some recordings of many of Schubert's piano sonatas. I'm starting with D.664. There's some prevalent opinion that this particular three movement work is Schubert's last piano sonata of his youth. Regardless, it's his earliest piano sonata which I greatly enjoy and could listen to for hours at a time. What's so good about Schubert's solo piano works? I think they have a very wide range of moods which Schubert expresses so well and genuinely. His music has that "singing " quality that's hard to resist, and he provides such a strong level of contrast in his music. His melodies and melodic development are a wonder to behold. So it's on to D.664. The versions for comparison are: Sviatoslav Richter - Vox/MMG 10030 (paired with D.784) 1979. Radu Lupu - Decca 440295 (paired with D.960) 1994. Wilhelm Kempff - DG 463766 (box set of Schubert) 1967. John Damgaard - Classico 245/49 (box set of Schubert) 1998. Olga Tverskaya - Opus 111 30-193 (paired with D.566) 1997. Alain Planes - Harmonia Mundi 901713 (paired with D.850) 2000. I assume that the Richter disc is long out of print, although it might have resurfaced in a different guise. This is a live performance from Tokyo, and the sound is outstanding except for some clanging at high volumes. Who are the last three artists? The Damgaard set received a fantastic review in one of the leading review mags. He's a Danish pianist and looks fairly young from his photograph. What I've heard of the set has impressed me. Ms. Tverskaya seems to be the house fortepianist for Opus 111 and has also recorded two discs of Schubert chamber music for the label. She looks young as well. Alain Planes has been recording a Schubert piano sonata series for Harmonia Mundi; this is his fifth disc. I've enjoyed very much his other Schubert cd's. Planes also recently recorded Debussy's Preludes for the same label. I assure you that Damgaard, Tverskaya, and Planes are no second stringers; they are excellent and should present highly competitive performances. I'll know more about this when the review is finished, but they've always sounded great in isolation. I used to say that about Andras Schiff's Bach also, but there's nothing like immediate comparisons to separate the good from the superb. The first movement of D.664 always amazes me. It begins with a totally serene and relaxed theme which sounds so simple and unadorned, yet I enjoy it increasingly as the years go by. The reason is that I see this theme as "home"; it recurs frequently, and I need to feel that I've come home with every reiteration. I can't stress enough the importance of this theme conveying that sense of utter serenity; it's what makes the theme memorable, and it also provides the strong contrast with the more dramatic and tense sections of the movement. Two artists have a problem with the initial theme - Damgaard and Kempff. They are quicker than the other versions, although that alone is not detrimental. The problem is that they sound a little unsettled and choppy; the singing quality isn't sufficient and there's little sense of serenity. Thus, when drama and tension increase, the contrasts are not as well defined. So, although the other aspects of both performances of the first movement are fine, their first theme deficiences pervade the movement and render their versions the least idiomatic and memorable. Lupo and Planes give very good performances. They are relatively serene and at peace in the primary theme, and they deliver excellent drama and tension when required. Can a fortepiano provide sufficient peace and tranquility? That's no problem for Tverskaya; the basic theme is lovingly played and very light. There is a little deficiency in the bass response of the powerful passages, but I prefer this version to all but one. That one would have to be Richter who chimes in with a perfect reading. The man takes me to a home where peace, joy, love, and security reign supreme; it's my ideal notion of what "home" is all about. His slow flow never bogs down, and the fact that he keeps my 100% interest for 12 minutes is a feat in itself. Richter is also superb in the powerful passages; his left hand is magisterial, and the sound quality of the bass region, so clear and distinct, is better than in any of the other versions. I should say a few words about repeats in the first movement. Damgaard uses up less than 6 minutes; Richter and Tverskaya, observing all repeats, take twice as long. Lupo and Planes, slower than Damgaard, clock in at over 7 minutes. Kempff, all repeats observed, is a little under 11 minutes with a quick tempo. I want to emphasize that my preferences concerning the first movement versions are not related to any repeat issue. Lyricism and enchantment are key components of the second movement Andante's first theme. Alternate passages are in the minor key and express varying degrees of melancholy, longing, and urgency. Timings range from Damgaard's 4 minutes to Richter's 6 minutes, and the difference is entirely due to tempo. Olga Tverskaya gives a 5 minute reading which is curiously uninvolved compared to the other performances. A notch up finds Richter whose very slow tempo unfortunately gives the music a somewhat comatose quality; although Richter plays excellently at this slow tempo, it's not one that I would regularly want to listen to. Moving up a little further, we have Damgaard; his relatively fast speed is great for the enhanced urgency he provides. On the debit side, there are times when the reading sounds a little rushed. Planes, Lupo, and Kempff equally gain my affection. Lupo and Kempff are quite similar with a very nice "home" quality to the first theme and strong elements of melancholy and longing elsewhere. Planes isn't quite as serene in the first theme as the other two versions, but his urgency in the alternate passages is excellent. I was very glad to hear Kempff eschew the "unsettled" element of his first movement's primary theme. The third movement Allegro is the lively and playful movement of D.664. I tend to think of it as the exuberant element of the "home" atmosphere which pervades the work. Forward momentum becomes very important in this movement as well. Damgaard's is the least attractive version. He pulls the tempo about, hesitates frequently and loses momentum, and speeds up any time he likes. Damgaard's reading is excessively romantic, self-indulgent, and schizophrenic; it's not a home I would want to be part of. Lupo is better, but he tends toward a little chopppiness and sounds rushed at times. Richter, no slower than Lupo, never sounds rushed or choppy. His home is divinely playful, and his left hand is supreme. Forward momentum is excellent and smoothly delivered. Planes is also outstanding with the slowest version of the six. The playfulness isn't quite as strong as in Richter's performance, but a fine degree of reflection is added, and "home" can be a fine spot for reflection. Also, Planes delivers the best chord progressions of all. Kempff does not quite make it to the level of Richter and Planes. All the elements are in place except that Kempff clips off a few of the bass chords and gets a little heavy on occasion. Still, it's a very fine reading capturing the essential aspects of the music. Saving the best for last brings us to Tverskaya who delivers the most playful reading of the six versions with her Brodmann fortepiano. However, what really puts her at the top is her outstanding execution of the more powerful passages - absolutely mesmerizing. Summary for D.664: Planes and Richter are my preferred readings. Each is idiomatic in every movement and carries the "home" theme throughout the work. Tverskaya, Lupo, and Kempff are just a little lower in my estimation. Kempff's Andante is wonderful, Tverskaya is outstanding except for an ordinary Andante, and Lupo always gets close to or reaches the heart of the music. Only Damgaard has significant failings, and they suface strongly in the first and third movements. Overall, he is too fast, choppy, and displays disturbing mannerisms. Whatever version you can get your hands on, do try out D.664. Fall is the perfect time of the year to savor this piano sonata; the leaves are turning and falling, the family is spending more time together indoors and in cleaning up the yard, and being in the bosom of one's family is very much my perception of Schubert's D.664. For those in the Southern Hemisphere, you're just in the wrong place (only kidding). Next up will be Schubert's D.784 which is worlds removed from D.664. Home and family play no part in this piano sonata, but if the sonata does remind you of your family, you have my strongest sympathies. Don Satz [log in to unmask]