Leif Ove Andsnes’ ongoing Schubert sonata series reaches its apogee with one of the most perceptive, sensitively phrased, and technically cultivated interpretations of the sublime B-flat “Opus Posthumous” sonata on disc. The pianist seems to treat the long opening movement as an extended song, holding it together with a rock-solid basic tempo colored by the tiniest modifications in pulse, plus an awareness of voice leading and balances between the hands that never sound the least bit studied or self-aware. Similar eloquence and control informs Andsnes’ exquisite and touching account of the slow movement. The Scherzo hardly could be suppler, and it stands out for Adnsnes’ ability to shade the music’s harmonic surprises without italicizing them.
Many pianists are tempted to push the finale’s climaxes, or conversely, pretentiously prod the main theme with a teacher’s pointer. Andsnes’ resolute steadiness gives the impression of speed by virtue of his clean and centered articulation. Rarely have the dotted rhythms sounded so assertive and defiant, or the coda less scrambled and cumulatively fulfilling under Andsnes’ fingers. Even alongside Fleisher’s quivering, more personalized intensity, Curzon’s lyric refinement, Goode’s songful spontaneity, and Richter’s austere concentration (not to mention Lupu, Perahia, Kempff, Kovacevich, and Uchida), Andsnes’ Schubert B-flat radiates star quality.
As always in this series, tenor Ian Bostridge joins the pianist for a lieder group that organically complements the sonata’s moods. The lengthy Viola, for example, reflects the slow movement’s tragic undercurrents, as does the melodrama Abschied von der Erde. Der Winterabend’s trance-like melodic line provides haunting grist for Bostridge’s suave legato technique and his pianist’s iron-hand-in-a-velvet-glove support. Richard Wigmore’s fine booklet notes and EMI’s world-class engineering seal my warm, enthusiastic recommendation. [2/10/2005]
