{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Schubert Sonata in B Flat, D. 960 (Part 1)","description":"For a long time I\u2019ve received emails and messages from people asking, and sometimes demanding, that I explore the solo piano repertoire. Other than a look at the Goldberg Variations of Bach, I\u2019ve basically neglected a huge amount music, including some of the greatest works ever written. Why have I been doing this? Well, if I\u2019m totally honest, it\u2019s been slightly out of a sense of intimidation. I\u2019m not a pianist, and I\u2019ve always been somewhat in awe of the piano and pianists. Even after spending years with this music, I still felt that I just simply didn\u2019t know the solo piano repertoire well enough to do it justice. Well, now that I\u2019ve gone through ALMOST all of the symphonic standard repertoire, and now that I\u2019ve started exploring the string quartet repertoire, I think it\u2019s time to throw off this sense of awe and dive right in. You might think I might not reach too high to start off, maybe an early Beethoven sonata, or a Mozart or Haydn Sonata. Well, in my opinion you\u2019ve got to go big or go home, so I\u2019ve decided to explore one of the towering masterpieces not only of the solo piano genre, but of all music, Schubert\u2019s Sonata in B Flat Major. This is a piece that has been described as \u201cwell-nigh perfect,\u201d as \u201cbeyond analysis,\u201d as including \u201cthe most extraordinary trill in the history of music,\u201d and as \u201cthe climax and apotheosis of Schubert\u2019s instrumental lyricism and his simplicity of form.\u201d These are just a few of the superlatives I\u2019ve found in researching this piece. It was written in the last weeks of Schubert\u2019s short life, and it truly does take the listener on an unforgettable journey. There is nothing quite like Schubert\u2019s final works, and so over the next two episodes, I will take you through this remarkable sonata, a piece that Alex Ross has described as \u201ca premature communication from the beyond.\u201d This is a huge piece, with so much to talk about, so I\u2019ve split this episode into two parts. This week we\u2019ll look at the first movement, and then in two weeks we\u2019ll cover the final three movements. Join us! ","author_name":"Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/stickynotespodcast.libsyn.com\/","html":"