Search - Schubert, Ader :: Waltzes & Landler

UTTERLY CHARMING!

K. N. Edlund | USA | 10/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, a few words of introduction to the pieces themselves, since many are not well known. By titling my review "utterly charming," I don't intend to convey that all the content is light, fluffy and quickly forgettable. Not in the least! More than almost any other composer I can think of, Schubert has a way of tugging at the heart strings when you least expect it, by the least turn of a phrase or by a short melody that suddenly floods one with feelings of loss and the emphemerality and briefness of even (or especially!) the most beautiful things of life. Short piano pieces are well suited to convey that sort of thing, and Schubert was a master in this genre. And almost inevitably, you will think of the tragic briefness of the composer's own life. Even though in the brilliant gaiety of the brighter pieces on this CD, I find no hint of tragedy underneath, there is even there an innocence that is very appealing.

As for the performance, I am not at all familiar with pianist Alice Ader. I'd never heard mention of her in any reviews nor have I come across any other examples of her playing. IT DOESN'T MATTER! Perhaps these pieces would be beneath the notice of a Brendel or a Rubenstein, but Ms. Ader seems very much at home in them and does not appear to be showing off to the composer's detriment. Sadly, this was the only CD fully devoted just to this material which six months ago I could find at [...] and that seems not to have changed as of this writing. What a pity that is, because I know from an old vinyl issue featuring the playing of Paolo Bordoni that there is more such delightful material in Schubert's output that is apparently just not currently obtainable. For a society (and even a classical music scene) that seems largely given over to the coarse and the ostentatious, that is a real loss!"