Cheap Schubert: Piano Sonata in a Minor D845/S (Music) (Maurizio Pollini) Price

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Customer Reviews of Schubert: Piano Sonata in a Minor D845/S

Masterful interpretations by Pollini, DGs "Original Series"
This has to be one the 5 best solo piano disks I've ever heard. Actually, I should say that combined with Universal catalog #447451-2 (Amazon asin #B000001GR1), you have two of the best available. The Schubert A minor Sonata D845 was originally coupled with the an equally compelling performance of the famous Wanderer Fantasy. And the Schumann Sonata in F sharp minor op. 11 was originally coupled with the same composer's Fantasie op. 17. Universal originally issued those LPs on CD in their original compilations. Then, when they created the marvelous series on DG called "The Originals", the issued a disk of the 2 Fanatasies, but not the sonatas. I was peaved for several years, for the sonatas are certainly the major attractions to me.

This CD was issued in Europe in 2002, but not in North America.
The Schubert is unmatched by any other performance I have heard. I like the ongoing series of Schubert solo piano works from Mitsuko Uchida (on the Philips label), but for this work, she can't even be counted in the same league with Pollini. Uchida sounds like she's playing on a toy piano when put next to Pollini. The same can be said for Kempff, and numerous others I've heard over the years. Pollini plays with incredible dynamic range. I've never even heard with the biggest orchestra cover such a wide range of tonality.
The Schumann Sonata is my personal favorite though. Pollini captures the same incredible dynamic range as in the Schubert. But in the Schumann, he combines soft, quiet, slow moments of reflection with rip-roaring excitement that will leave sitting on the edge of your seat time and again.
Every time I pull this recording out I am thoroughly captivated by it.
If you can, get both disks. But, if you must have only one, make it the one reviewed here.