The gentle, conversational way in which Maria João Pires launches the A minor Sonata D845 immediately identifies a pianist with a deep understanding of Schubert’s music and its spectrum of expression.
Maria João Pires is a pianist who seems incapable of producing an ugly sound or fashioning a phrase that is not perfectly moulded. Her playing is wonderfully selfless, and Schubert, like Mozart, often ...
It’s a humble Catholic prayer, with a simple but incredibly moving tune by Franz Schubert. But who has performed ‘Ave Maria’ and what are the lyrics? Despite being one of the world’s favourite ...