Stephen Kovacevich's Schubert A major Sonata

[Tony Halstead]

Did anybody hear this Wigmore Hall recital today?
On the car radio I caught the last 2 or 3 minutes and then - mysteriously - a few pretty well inaudible words to the audience by Mr K before he played the entire last movement again!
Had 'something happened' during the first time round so that he felt the need to give it a 2nd airing?
I must say, the playing was very fine but it did have a tendency to 'rush' some passages that might have benefitted from a more measured approach.

[vinteuil]

... the first time round he got badly lost in the last movement - or, this being Schubert, he noticeably Wandered - and so felt it right to give it another go.

Yes, he was a little 'rushed' at times. A bit sad.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Which A major sonata was it?

(edit) I see it was D959 according to the R3 Schedule.

[gurnemanz]

I was listening if with about 75% attention, but immediately noticed that something sounded not quite right towards the end of the last movement. There was a pause of several seconds and he continued. At the end he spoke to the hall mentioning taking a wrong turn and that with the audience's indulgence he would play the movement again.

[Gordon]

I heard it too but the muttered comments escaped me and I don't remember the announcer saying anything - listening again hasn't helped, he says something about Glasgow and Edinburgh and about turnings!! Then "with your indulgence I'll play the last movement again", no explanation!! And the Listen Again sequence cuts off before the end of the repeated movement but it's attached to the beginning of Afternoon on 3 that came after!! The announcer at the end clarified that SK admitted to have made a "wrong turning" somewhere which is why he repeated!!

Performance a bit rushed I thought.

[Pianorak]

I was listening and I'm afraid he appeared to have had a memory lapse in the last movement, tried to retrace his steps but then decided to stop for a moment before continuing. There was generous applause from a sympathetic audience. He repeated the last movement by way of an encore which was preceded by an announcement which I couldn't catch on the radio. I have heard him play the Amajor D959 at the Barbican many years ago; the sonata is also among his best recordings.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I would have thought the decent think for the BBC to have done would have been to edit out the first (faulty) version of the finale for the iPlayer recording.

[Tony Halstead]

I would have thought the decent think for the BBC to have done would have been to edit out the first (faulty) version of the finale for the iPlayer recording.

Yes indeed... quite so!

[Nick Armstrong]

... the first time round he got badly lost in the last movement - or, this being Schubert, he noticeably Wandered - and so felt it right to give it another go.

Yes, he was a little 'rushed' at times. A bit sad.

It's on R3 again at the moment. All a bit clangy so far, and his oral noises - hissing and gurgling - are pretty distracting over the mic. Not sure I have the stomach for a pile up in the last movement...

[Gordon]

They fixed it!! Not a particularly impressive performance anyway.

[Nick Armstrong]

They fixed it!! Not a particularly impressive performance anyway.

I'm glad about the blushes being spared. But yes, it did seem in the rest of the piece that the fingers were constantly close to not being able to do what that magnificent musical brain wanted them to. As vints said, a little sad

[gradus]

Still on Schubert but a different recital, yesterday at Snape Christian Blackshaw played (magnificently) the last three sonatas in a two interval recital.
A great achievement on any level but musically extraordinarily satisfying and to a completely sold out hall.
If he repeats the programme anywhere near you do try to get there, you will not be disappointed. He is a great musician and a wholly convincing interpreter of these wonderful works.

[Lento]

He seems to be very honest about such matters. Quite a few years ago, at RFH, he struggled a little in one notorious Beethoven sonata passage, and simply announced at the end that he would repeat the movement "for the Beeb".

[gurnemanz]

We saw Thomas Quasthoff at the Barbican. Having gone off stage after the scheduled items he come back for an encore. He was not happy with the performance, having lost his breath going on and off, so he encored the encore. This was shortly before he retired.

[DoctorT]

A box is being next month of SK's Philips recordings in honour of his 75th birthday. Definitely on my shopping list!