Schubert Sonata in B Flat, D. 960 (Part 1)

For a long time I’ve received emails and messages from people
asking, and sometimes demanding, that I explore the solo piano
repertoire. Other than a look at the Goldberg Variations of Bach,
I’ve basically neglected a huge amount music, including some of
the greatest works ever written. Why have I been doing this?
Well, if I’m totally honest, it’s been slightly out of a sense of
intimidation. I’m not a pianist, and I’ve always been somewhat in
awe of the piano and pianists. Even after spending years with
this music, I still felt that I just simply didn’t know the solo
piano repertoire well enough to do it justice. Well, now that
I’ve gone through ALMOST all of the symphonic standard
repertoire, and now that I’ve started exploring the string
quartet repertoire, I think it’s time to throw off this sense of
awe and dive right in. You might think I might not reach too high
to start off, maybe an early Beethoven sonata, or a Mozart or
Haydn Sonata. Well, in my opinion you’ve got to go big or go
home, so I’ve decided to explore one of the towering masterpieces
not only of the solo piano genre, but of all music, Schubert’s
Sonata in B Flat Major. This is a piece that has been described
as “well-nigh perfect,” as “beyond analysis,” as including “the
most extraordinary trill in the history of music,” and as “the
climax and apotheosis of Schubert’s instrumental lyricism and his
simplicity of form.” These are just a few of the superlatives
I’ve found in researching this piece. It was written in the last
weeks of Schubert’s short life, and it truly does take the
listener on an unforgettable journey. There is nothing quite like
Schubert’s final works, and so over the next two episodes, I will
take you through this remarkable sonata, a piece that Alex Ross
has described as “a premature communication from the beyond.”
This is a huge piece, with so much to talk about, so I’ve split
this episode into two parts. This week we’ll look at the first
movement, and then in two weeks we’ll cover the final three
movements. Join us!