FRANZ SCHUBERT Fantasy D.934, Sonata D.574, Rondo brillant D.895 for violin and piano Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov

The two faces of Schubert
Schubert wrote relatively little for the combination of piano and violin, but his output displays an astonishing variety of form and even ambition. The Sonata in A major op. posth. 162 of 1817 was the last of his contributions to what one might call ‘domestic music-making’. Ten years later, coming after the ‘Rosamunde’ and ‘Death and the Maiden’ Quartets, the Rondo op.70 is an amazingly vital ‘rondo brillant’, while the Fantasy in in C major emerges as a model of lightweight cheerfulness. Disconcerting simplicity on the very edge of the abyss . . .