Herbert Schuch (Piano)
Fantasy for Piano in C major, D 760/Op. 15 "Wanderer" by Franz Schubert
Sonata 1.X.1905 "From the street" by Leos Janácek
Sonata for Piano in A major, D 664/Op. 120 by Franz Schubert
Herbert Schuch is another fine pianist that I collect and cannot get enough of. An exceptionally adept player with a totally sensitive touch, vision, tempos, expressive and interpretation etc. that is very appealing to me and my own sense of style.
Schubert often felt he was in the shadow of Beethoven but if you need any proof that his solo piano music is completely worthy to stand alongside that of Beethoven then just study his Piano Sonatas and especially his Wanderer-Fantasie. The latter being not truly accessible to mere amateurs (without an exceptionally strong technique) as it is a brute of piece to play and one of the great war horses in the repertoire. It may be true that even Schubert could hardly manage this piece.
The highlight of the Wanderer-Fantasie for me is the very special Adagio (about 6'-20" through 13'-40"). More specifically, I usually can take a 20 or even a 40 minute piece of Schubert and it all comes down to 20 or 30 seconds section which is all I need. The kernel of truth for me you could say. The part where he gives just the tiniest glimpse of something beyond wonder and speechlessness. These are often invariably in a minor key and the trance ends when he shifts to the sunnier major key. I often get angry at Schubert for doing this and for not repeating these wonderful moments for hours on end for me but then maybe this is what makes the moments special as they are rare and not overdone.
In the Wanderer-Fantasie it is all summarized within around 11'-10" through 11'-40" timing on the video. If there is only one or two advantages of a digital world for me it is that I can efficiently listen to my special 30second portions of music one hundred times in a row. Not impossible but it just takes a great deal of effort more to do this same function with vinyl.
The piano Schuch is playing is a Hamburg Steinway and certainly a well chosen and a wonderful piano to hear in my opinion. Even in the near dark you can even see the features that distinguish it from a New York Steinway. What a beautiful thing. Sadly, the difference in craftsmanship alone between a Hamburg and a New York Steinway are also so symbolic to me of the differences between European and American attitudes toward quality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?f...ge&v=jgJpnQz3I0c