Harmonia Mundi: Paul Lewis — Schubert: Piano Sonatas No. 14 D.784 & No. 19 D.958 CD

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Product Details:

• UPC: 794881869428
• Catalog Number: HMA 1951755
• Product Type: Audio CD
• Brand / Label: Harmonia Mundi (Musique d'Abord series)
• Composer: Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
• Performer: Paul Lewis (piano, Steinway)
• Recording Year: 2001 (London); this reissue 2010
• Genre: Classical / Solo piano

Product Features

• Format: CD (digipak)
• Discs: 1
• Total time: 56:11
• Works: Piano Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D.958; Piano Sonata No. 14 in A minor, Op. 143, D.784
• Booklet: French and English notes
• Condition: New, factory sealed
• Made in Austria (LC 7045)

Overview

This is the disc that announced Paul Lewis. Recorded in London in July 2001 as his very first release for Harmonia Mundi, it earned immediate, unanimous acclaim from the international press — and in hindsight it reads like the opening statement of a pianist who would go on to record benchmark Beethoven and Schubert cycles. Reissued here in the budget Musique d'Abord series, it's an easy way to own a genuinely important recording.

The pairing is shrewd. The A minor Sonata, D.784, is Schubert at his most austere and concentrated — spare textures, restless energy, an almost Beethovenian terseness across its three movements. The C minor Sonata, D.958, is one of the three great late sonatas of 1828, written in Schubert's final months: turbulent, searching, and shadowed by the C minor key Beethoven made his own.

Lewis plays a Steinway with the clarity and structural grip that became his signature, never sacrificing Schubert's lyricism to drama. A landmark debut from one of today's foremost pianists, arriving brand new and still factory sealed.

Interesting Facts

• This was Paul Lewis's first recording for Harmonia Mundi, made in London in July 2001, and it launched his international reputation.
• Lewis went on to record a complete Beethoven piano sonata and concerto cycle that is now widely regarded as a reference version.
• Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D.958, is one of Schubert's final trilogy of sonatas, all composed in 1828, the last year of his life.
• The C minor key and the dramatic gestures of D.958 reflect Schubert's deep admiration for Beethoven, who had died the previous year.
• Sonata No. 14 in A minor, D.784, dates from 1823 and is notable for its stark, stripped-back textures — unusual for the famously lyrical Schubert.
• Lewis studied with Alfred Brendel, one of the great Schubert interpreters, a lineage clearly audible in his approach to this repertoire.

Track Listing

Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D.958

1. Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Menuetto
4. Allegro

Sonata No. 14 in A minor, Op. 143, D.784

1. Allegro giusto
2. Andante
3. Allegro vivace

Publishers

Harmonia Mundi s.a., Arles. ℗ 2001 © 2010. Issued in the Musique d'Abord series. Made in Austria.

Love Schubert at the keyboard? A short review helps other piano lovers find this one.