I could easily fill this blog with reviews of Schubert's music only; that's how much I love it. There's always tons to explore and re-explore. Delights await around every corner. Especially when the performances are good, as is the case with this new Danacord release featuring pianist John Damgaard. I like his selection of pieces here: the 6 Moments musicaux, D. 780; the rarely-heard 2 Scherzos, D. 593; and my ever-favorite 3 Klavierstücke, D. 946. A terrific blend of miniatures (in some cases near-miniatures) to showcase this performer's robust gifts.
We're so used to hearing the famous F Minor Moment musical (the third) that we sometimes forget about the wonderful music in the others. With their little main themes, extensions, recastings, interspersions, and returns, these pieces present some of the best examples of Schubert's achingly beautiful character states. No composer was better at creating music that is at once happy and sad, or that moves so suddenly from one to the other. Damgaard's interpretation here is fantastic. I have heard few pianists paint the different shadings of this music like he does. He seems to capture every little emotion, and to have something special up his sleeve for each new turn of phrase. The range of tone color is remarkable.
The D. 593 Scherzi are something of a rarity. But they're actually not that different from the Moments musicaux in their strain-based forms, and also in their exploration of different moods from one mini-section to the next. Perhaps the main themes of these two pieces have a bit more "pop," befitting the their genre designation. Damgaard brings them off with admirable tone and control. One wishes they would crop up in concerts more often.
The magnificent three D. 946 pieces are also section-based, but they're lengthier and have stormier (or simply more virtuosic) passages. This begins to explain why I find Damgaard's performances of them to be on a slightly lower level than previously. He is VERY good in the slower, more reflective areas (like the middle of the third number). And while he's not "bad" in the stormier stuff, I find some of those stretches just a tad lacking in élan, and in the appropriate tone colors he provides elsewhere. When the going is fast and notey, sometimes things also sound slightly clipped. Finally, I'm not sure I like the rubato he applies in the pathos-filled A-Flat Minor section of the second number; it needs a more consistent pulse and sense of urgency. (It's one of the most magical passages in ALL of Schubert's music!) Overall, then, while this is a pretty decent D. 946 option, I would steer newcomers to great performances by Brendel or Pollini first.
Recommended, especially for D. 780 and 593
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