Valery Afanassiev
Franz Schubert - Sonate B-Dur op. Posth. D 960
ECM NEW SERIES (Germany) 1986
ECM 1328 (LP) Original pressing, Gatefold sleeve.
sleeve : EX-(SOC, TEOC)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noise)
Russian-born pianist Valery Afanassiev performs one of Franz Schubert’s late masterpieces in this album released in 1986, recorded live at the Lockenhaus Festival in Austria in 1985. It is the third installment in ECM New Series’ “Edition Lockenhaus” series, produced by Manfred Eicher and Gidon Kremer. Afanassiev delivers a remarkable performance, drawing out the stillness and profound contrasts characteristic of Schubert’s final period through a slow tempo, long-breathed phrasing, and a deeply sinking touch. From the opening of the first movement, the music is charged with an almost breathless tension, revealing an unease and spirituality that go beyond Romantic lyricism. The second movement is equally introspective, and together with ECM’s distinctive sound treatment, it opens into a mysterious and immersive sonic space.
A: Molto Moderato
B: Andante Sostenuto