Search - Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Paul Lewis :: Schubert: Piano Sonatas Nos. 14 & 19

Deeply searching and revelatory Schubert

David J. Friedlander | Columbus, Ohio United States | 09/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Paul Lewis is a rising star among the newer generation of pianists. His growing fame is earned by his artistry and depth of vision. Contrast this to Lang Lang who has exploded on the scene amid hype, self indulgence, self conscious playing and gyrating posturing that is all staged to aggrandize the performer. Lewis is the antithesis of this superficiality and "me first" approach to music making. He is a pure artist with heart, mind, technique and expression all in wonderful balance.



The opening work on the disc, the c minor sonata D 958 has strong echoes of Beethoven. Schubert, along with his contemporaries were all very aware of Beethoven's stature. He reigned supreme in Vienna in the time before Schubert wrote this, his 3rd last sonata. How much pure Schubert exists in this work? That question is one I can't answer but Lewis is not confused by it. He finds a great path through this difficult piece and his ability to visualize the entirety of the work is clear in the way he never allows the music to wander. Only the very best pianists can execute technically difficult passages without calling attention to themselves. "Look what I did." or "Look what I can do." You never get a sense of that mistake with Paul Lewis. He is here to make music. He is here to show us the jewels. He doesn't overly polish them, or put them in a distracting setting, or find a way to blind us by reflecting a distracting light from it. He only says, "look at this beautiful jewel." "Look at all the different sides, the depth of it, the flaws and the totality of it. It is unique from all other jewels. Let me show you how this is so..."



The 2nd sonata is a perfect illustration and microcosm of the greatness of Paul Lewis' musicianship. He plays the amorphous and wistful chordal opening with an understanding heretofore yet undiscovered. Schubert's idea unfolds over an unusually long time frame and Lewis has the entirety of it completely unified under his gentle yet firm control. "Rachmaninov!" is what my brain exclaimed in surprise. Did anyone before realize the famous Russian's style was born in the 1820's? Who before Lewis found this interpretive byway? No one I'm aware of.



We sometimes hear the concept of "unselfconsciousness" in pianistic interpretative criticism. I take it to mean basically that the performer gets out of the way of the composer's voice and acts purely as a vessel for it to be realized. I don't know if that is even possible, yet Lewis embodies it as much as anyone I've heard. He certainly brings out Schubert's voice here in this sonata and we hear many inflections and variations, all with great clarity and sympathy. Schubert's special brand of wistful meloncholy has been explored very well in the past by a galaxy of the best Classical and Romantic period pianists. Kempff, Schiff, Brendel, Unchida, Andsnes and Kovacevich are a few well known Schubertians who have revealed Schubert with great success. I have no doubt about Lewis being placed with those greats.



Finally, the price of this CD is rediculously low. It is a super bargain. Anyone who loves Schubert needs to own this disc. Anyone who loves music that is sad and beautiful, hopeful and dispairing by turns, gentle at times and then insistant...Aw heck! Just buy the thing. You won't be sorry!"