Recordings

Schubert: Moments musicaux (D780)

Schubert’s music has meant a lot to me throughout my life and I have spent a lot of time studying and thinking about it. These six short pieces were written at various times by Schubert and published as a group shortly before his death. These "musical moments" each present a separate kind of experience, almost a whole world, rather than a duration in time.

I’ve long thought that this music is generally played too fast and insensitively so that my performance tries to right the balance, to find a special kind of intimacy and gentleness. I’ve also tried to avoid the kind of self-indulgent expressive mannerisms that mar some interpretations (I am thinking about the rather arbitrary fluctuations in tempo and grandiose crescendos that some players adopt). That said, there is also a symphonic element in these pieces, especially in V, that calls for a certain heroism. I’ve chosen to record these in my studio at home using a 1924 Steinway M whose tonal character to me suggests something of Schubert’s own instrument. I am deeply grateful to Michael MacDonald, whose sensitive, generous, and expert collaboration was essential to bringing this recording to life.

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Producers: Michael MacDonald and Peter Pesic

Recording, mix, and mastering engineer: Michael MacDonald

Mastering studio: AlgoRhythms

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