DAVID KOREVAAR

• Schubert: Piano Sonata in A major - II. Andantino

“Korevaar is somewhat measured and probing, a bit restrained but always with subtlety and sensitivity to the mood and character of the music... [Korevaar] plays with a wide range of dynamics... Korevaar sees Schubert here as mostly serene and contented, typically playing down the more fiery and urgent moments... Korevaar ultimately makes an excellent case for his approach: he consistently interprets both works with a sense that Schubert indeed foreshadowed Bruckner and that the music here is not about power or defiance or a Beethovenian urgency... Korevaar captures the serenity in the opening movement of the G major sonata (D. 894) with a mesmerizing, silken tone, making Schubert sound more richly Romantic than is usual. The playful music later on conveys an infectious joy. Speaking of joy, the finale effervesces with it, but Korevaar isn't guilty of recasting the music as all serenity and happiness... Korevaar's performances arguably have as much subtlety, color and character as most of the better efforts. Uchida may still be preferable, but Korevaar's understated way with the music offers a quite valid and persuasive alternative approach to these great sonatas. The sound reproduction by MSR is excellent once again. Highly recommended.”

Robert Cummings, Classical Net [September 2016]

[ * * * * ] “Korevaar is an artist whose human sensibilities, no matter what he is playing, are always at the forefront. He seem anxious to communicate to us the deeply personal elements of the music, something he shares with Schnabel... one cannot overlook the very real and highly subtle elements that Korevaar finds in this music—it’s almost like overhearing Schubert playing himself, and with Korevaar’s naturally warm and comforting pianism, with wonderfully engrossing tonal qualities, the experience of this disc is definitely rewarding and enlightening. The sound matches the playing—burnished and gratifying.”

Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition [May 2016]

“[The Sonata in G] is caressed, fondled in a manner most attractive, as he never pushes things beyond the bounds of good taste...few will remain unmoved by his restrained emotionalism... The Shigeru Kawai piano is recorded with just the right perspective and sounds wonderful... [in the Andantino] the pianist seizes on the virtuosic elements and makes them come astonishingly alive. The Scherzo is kept frothy and light, with the pedal kept at bay. The Rondo finale is both as spirited and sensitive as one could wish— Schubert’s charming theme cajoled with attractive freshness. There is much to enjoy in both these performances, and the pianist has obviously given great thought into his interpretations. I look forward to more from this artist.”

Becker, American Record Guide [May/June 2016]

“The music’s the thing for David Korevaar. As I can say of this artist and only a few others, he is self-effacing to the point where he sublimates his own personality to the service of the music at hand. To be sure, the former student of Earl Wild (piano) and David Diamond (composition) has ample technical prowess. But he also shows a keenly defined sense of form and a beautiful feeling for tone color that enable him to make his points naturally, without fuss or undue display. And that allows him to present the music of Franz Schubert to us as it is, without egotism or showy virtuosity. As a result, we get an impression of Schubert as a composer who could be a lot like Beethoven, but with a difference.”

Phil Muse, Audio Video Club of Atlanta [September 2015]

Franz Schubert is the most human of composers. With his phenomenal output of art songs and his masterful later instrumental music, his musical creations belie in number and impact his short life. Nearly 200 years after his death, these works speak to us directly and intimately of triumph and tragedy, joy and sorrow, the human condition and the most personal of matters. The two sonatas on this disc, composed in 1826 and 1828 (Schubert’s 29th and 31st years), are representative of his mature style, and present an aesthetic of large form that was to have a profound influence on the music of Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, and many others.

Pianist David Korevaar, whose playing has been called a “musical epiphany” by Gramophone, performs a wide range of repertoire, from the time of Bach to the present. He balances his active career as a soloist and chamber musician with teaching at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he is the Peter and Helen Weil Professor of Piano. Since his New York debut at Town Hall in 1985, Korevaar has performed throughout the United States, including concerts in Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., Dallas, Houston, Cincinnati and San Diego, as well as on tours in Europe and Asia. He has been heard at major venues in New York, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Merkin Concert Hall, and frequently performs in his home state of Colorado. International performances have included appearances in Australia, Japan, Korea, Abu Dhabi and Europe. Korevaar gave his London debut at Wigmore Hall and his German recital debut at the Heidelberg Spring Festival. He also performed and taught in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan as a cultural envoy under the sponsorship of the United States Department of State. Also a highly active recording artist, Korevaar has made numerous critically acclaimed recordings that encompass solo and ensemble literature from Johann Sebastian Bach, Beethoven and Brahms to Ravel and Hindemith. An advocate for new music as well, he has recorded works by contemporary composers, including David Carlson and Lowell Liebermann. [ www.davidkorevaar.com ] FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
PIANO SONATA NO.18 IN G MAJOR, D.894 (1826)
I. Molto moderato e cantabile
II. Andante
III. Menuetto & Trio
IV. Allegretto

PIANO SONATA NO.20 IN A MAJOR, D.959 (1828)
I. Allegro
II. Andantino
III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
IV. Rondo. Allegretto



MSR Classics