Appreciating Schubert's sonatas

[sonata_5]

Don’t get me wrong,I love Schubert’s sonatas and especially Bb major,G major and the “little” a major  sometimes it feels like he just drags on and on and on and on and just trying to put everything he thinks about on one piece.How can I appreciate the material more?

[brogers70]

Patience. Avoid screens. Enjoy the sounds. Don't think "Damn, is he really going to repeat that huge exposition." Think "Cool, that was lovely and now I can listen to it again." Life today does everything it can to make us incapable of focusing on one thing for a long time, and that makes it a lot harder to listen to Schubert.

[lelle]

Don’t get me wrong,I love Schubert’s sonatas and especially Bb major,G major and the “little” a major  sometimes it feels like he just drags on and on and on and on and just trying to put everything he thinks about on one piece.How can I appreciate the material more?

I think the same and I just listen to other music that keeps me more engaged Sometimes I get a Schubert itch and then I put on some Schubert but it is rare.

[thorn]

I think the same and I just listen to other music that keeps me more engaged Sometimes I get a Schubert itch and then I put on some Schubert but it is rare.

I second this. To use the Rachmaninoff quote "Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music." Why give time to something you find hard to listen to? If I feel like some Schubert I mainly listen to his songs, never the sonatas.

Sometimes you just need a break from things too. There are many pieces I didn't like in my teens that are among my favourites in my 30s, and vice versa. Equally there's stuff I haven't changed my mind about, Schubert's sonatas being one of them. Which is allowed!

[bryfarr]

Don’t get me wrong,I love Schubert’s sonatas and especially Bb major,G major and the “little” a major  sometimes it feels like he just drags on and on and on and on and just trying to put everything he thinks about on one piece.How can I appreciate the material more?

I understand your reaction.  It's very interesting, leads me to reflect on what life was like in 1820 compared to now - not many distractions, just books and conversation and music.  I wonder if people were operating on a more chill wavelength.  I would assume so.  So listening to Schubert's leisurely narratives, 3 themes instead of 2, and lengthy episodes, etc., was actually enjoyable, especially if played with subtle differences on repeats...

I remember listening to the G major for the first few times (Brendel), and realizing just how other-worldly this sonata is .. it's relaxed but more than just relaxed, it's meditative and takes you to a new level of serenity, if you let it.

[sonata_5]

Also,does anyone know good interpretations for g major and Bb major,I have never heard a recording that dosen’t make me go,”the repeat of the exposition is so boring” because I have heard performances of the other sonatas that I love but no one to me can make the g major and Bb major just right.

[transitional]

Don’t get me wrong,I love Schubert’s sonatas and especially Bb major,G major and the “little” a major  sometimes it feels like he just drags on and on and on and on and just trying to put everything he thinks about on one piece.How can I appreciate the material more?

I love Schubert's piano sonatas and I would say they're his best genre. They open up an expansive quality of a wide single thought, and once you get past the point where they're simple harmonies next to each other, the meaning is fluid but there are so many possibilities.

I would just sit down with the music for a while, do some of the longer sonatas while reading about them (Wikipedia is sufficient) and focus on the parts of the music you do like. After that there are certain sections where you may find "nice" but not speaking to you as much. This can definitely be supplemented by different recordings. For example, in the C Minor sonata I didn't have any idea what the B theme into Eb Major was for until I heard the soft ritardando in Sokolov's recording. Listen for subtle details not in the score, but in the playing, This is not complex music, but its engagement comes from Schubert's understanding of the human soul, not only when showing certain emotional undertones but really all of them in quick (but seemingly neverending) succession.

If you can't get into his sonatas, they're definitely not for everyone and I don't blame you for wanting more exciting music. You shouldn't listen to music that you find suboptimal or less enjoyable.

Also,does anyone know good interpretations for g major and Bb major,I have never heard a recording that dosen’t make me go,”the repeat of the exposition is so boring” because I have heard performances of the other sonatas that I love but no one to me can make the g major and Bb major just right.

Here are some of my favorite recordings. They may not suit your taste, but I really enjoy:

D 459: Kempff's playing works really directly for this. This sonata shows Schubert's compositional style but definitely not as mature ideas. I think any recording for this is fine. Kempff doesn't drag too much and really anything can be drawn from this light, but really enjoyable sonata.

D 568: Kempff again. Simple and light, and the matter-of-fact approach works well here.

D 575: Richter captures the Schubertian qualities here and every change in texture and quick modulation descends capriciously before flowing once more in the 1st mvt. There are many somewhat subdued ritardando in the 2nd mvt and he isn't afraid to hide some voices only to bring them out quickly. Also, lots of space is given to what would be simple chords. Solid, paced 3rd mvt. Finale is take at a fun, brisk tempo.

D 784: Richter is known for overexaggerating tempi of many of Schubert's opening movements but here the sparse variation is fueled by the somewhat slower tempo.

D 840: Richter again. Barely anyone does the last 2 movements. I don't mind the tempo choice in the 1st movement, as it shows the beautiful symphonic ideas.

D 845: Brendel, but there are many great performances of this one. It's a hard sonata to dislike.

D 894: Hard to pick between Uchida and Lewis. If this sonata bores you and you want a faster interpretation, do Kempff's for the 1st movement.

D 958: Sokolov for the great phrasing in the opening movement, and making the finale sound frantic even at the slower tempo he chooses.

D 959: Zimerman

D 960: Yudina for excitement, Ugorskaja for balance. If you get bored easily, do Schnabel's.

Uchida's recordings are always really solid, but they don't stand out as much.

[transitional]

I understand your reaction.  It's very interesting, leads me to reflect on what life was like in 1820 compared to now - not many distractions, just books and conversation and music.  I wonder if people were operating on a more chill wavelength.  I would assume so.  So listening to Schubert's leisurely narratives, 3 themes instead of 2, and lengthy episodes, etc., was actually enjoyable, especially if played with subtle differences on repeats...

Interesting take. I don't see Schubert's sonatas as a byproduct of a slow world, but rather an escape from the current world. Of course, I have less insight than you on this if any, but I find these sonatas still relevant to an ever fleeting age we live in that often forgets about the desires of the individual.

[1972dd]

Surprised no mention of D537. One of my favourites. I love the Schubert Sonatas. Top 10 piano composer for me

[essence]

Concerning repeats - they are necessary unless there is a time limit.

My favourite Schubert composition is the G major quartet. Some recordings do not do the first movement repeat. I think this is a mistake. The transition from the end of the exposition back to the start is a pivotal point, in solo first violin. It is repeated. Then this pivotal moment is extended into a long despair before starting the recapitulation, after a period of great anger. It is in a way surprising, because we could cope with the first two times, but this third time Schubert lays it on.