Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 13, D. 664 & No. 15, D. 840 "Reliquie" Giuseppe Bruno

• Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major, Op. Posth. 120, D. 664:
• 1Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major, Op. Posth. 120, D. 664: I. Allegro moderato11:57
• 2Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major, Op. Posth. 120, D. 664: II. Andante04:38
• 3Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major, Op. Posth. 120, D. 664: III. Allegro08:40
• Piano Sonata No. 15 in C Major, D. 840 "Reliquie" (Compl. G. Bruno):
• 4Piano Sonata No. 15 in C Major, D. 840 "Reliquie" (Compl. G. Bruno): I. Moderato18:01
• 5Piano Sonata No. 15 in C Major, D. 840 "Reliquie" (Compl. G. Bruno): II. Andante10:16
• 6Piano Sonata No. 15 in C Major, D. 840 "Reliquie" (Compl. G. Bruno): III. Menuetto & Trio06:06
• 7Piano Sonata No. 15 in C Major, D. 840 "Reliquie" (Compl. G. Bruno): IV. Rondo. Allegro11:47
• Total Runtime01:11:25

Info zu Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 13, D. 664 & No. 15, D. 840 "Reliquie"

In this first album of a series devoted to the complete piano sonatas of Franz Schubert, Giuseppe Bruno interprets the Sonatas in A Major, D664 and in C Major, D840. The Sonata in A Major is possibly the composer’s first breakthrough in the genre.

After many attempts, some of which have survived as incomplete sonatas or unfinished movements, Schubert seems to find his own voice in a form in which Beethoven had already been an uncontested model for two decades. In the summer of 1819, Schubert joined his baritone friend, Johann Michael Vogl, in a trip to the Austrian countryside, in the region of Steyr. It was here that he allegedly wrote the Sonata in A Major, inspired by the young pianist Josephine von Koller, whom he considered not only to be very pretty, but also a good pianist. The sonata was published posthumously in 1829 as Op. 120, and is often referred to as “the little A Major” to distinguish it from the monumental sonata in the same key that Schubert wrote nearly a decade later.

For quite some time after its posthumous publication in 1861, the Sonata in C Major, D840 was considered to have been Schubert’s last work – hence, its Italian nickname “reliquie” (relics). The assumption stemmed from the fact that only two movements were completed, and that only unfinished portions of the A section of the third movement and 272 measures of a fourth movement were discovered in manuscript form. Further investigation, however, revealed that the sonata was most likely written in 1825, contemporaneously with the Sonata in A Minor, D845, and perhaps abandoned to pursue the composition of other works. It is also possible that Schubert did not deem it worthy. Over the last century and a half, many were the composers and pianists who undertook the task of completing the missing portions of the two movements, most notably Ernst Krenek (1921-22) and Paul Badura-Skoda (1976).

The present recording showcases Giuseppe Bruno’s own completion – a remarkable achievement to add to an already illustrious list. The album was recorded with two Brüel & Kjæer microphones at 130 volts on a Steinway D-274.

Giuseppe Bruno, piano

Giuseppe Bruno
graduated with honors in Piano, Composition and Conductorship with Professors Specchi, Zangelmi and Taverna. Maestro Bruno specialized in piano with Paolo Bordoni and in conductorship with Leopold Hager. He has attended a seminar in composition at the IRCAM in Paris. Performing for several years as a pianist in many different chamber ensembles as well as a brilliant soloist. He has played with many important orchestras in Italy, USA, Greece, Romania and Germany in a repertory that goes from Mozart to Dallapiccola. From 1987 to 1992 he participated in the “Due Mondi” festival in Spoleto Italy and in 1988 in the Charleston festival in the USA.

In 1991 Maestro Bruno received an award at the International Piano Contest in Rome and in 1992 he received a second award in a duo with violin player Alberto Bologni at the “Viotti” in Vercelli, Italy. He recorded for Nuova Fonit Cetra, Diapason, SAM, Bongiovanni, Ars publica, Ars Musici, as well as for RAI, Swiss French and Italian radio and for WDR in Koeln. He collaborated with directors including Alkis Baltas, Spiros Argiris, Franz Lamprecht, Corneliu Dumbraveanu, violin player Sashko Gawriloff, singers Gail Gilmore and Victor von Halem, and with the Octet of Berlin Philharmonic. He is currently a member of the “Trio Petrarca”. In the past few years he has been acknowledged as a highly regarded conductor in Italy and abroad. Maestro Bruno is at present the Director of the "Giacomo Puccini" Conservatory, in La Spezia, Italy.

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet