Schubert: Works For Solo Piano Vol.2 – Barry Douglas

   in Piano International (Jul, 2017)
It has been three years since Chandos issued the first volume of Barry Douglas’ Schubert survey (CHAN 10807), so this successor, recorded in February 2016, has been a long while coming. Similar to Volume 1, coupling the final sonata (B-flat major D960) with the Wanderer Fantasy and a couple of Liszt’s song transcriptions, Douglas has moved a touch back in time to pair the preceding sonata with the Impromptus D899.

I was hugely impressed by Lars Vogt’s recording of the Impromptus(1827) a few months ago, and Douglas’ interpretation is of equal stature. Douglas is a little swifter, but only by a minute overall – and most of that is accounted for …