Sferisterio Opera:Callegari - Puccini: Madama Butterfly

Schubert composed these three charming violin and piano sonatas (also called 'sonatinas') when he was nineteen, and like much of his early work they are suffused with the spirit of Mozart. When they were published eight years after his death, they were advertised as 'sonatinas', doubtless as a lure to the lucrative amateur market, but the term is misleading. The three-movement D major has something of the miniature about it, but the more substantial four-movement A minor and G minor sonatas are certainly not light-weight. The graceful and melodious D major sonata is very Mozartian in derivation. The Sonata in A minor, Schubert's favourite key for expressions of pathos, has a more individual flavour, and like the Sonata in G minor, hints at the poignancy and passion of the composer's maturity. The soloists on this recording are the outstanding Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer and Russian-Austrian pianist Oleg Maisenberg. They have been regular recital partners for many years, and give stylish and insightful performances of these works.'...the two artists are very well attuned, and Maisenberg is an admirable pianist. The recording is well balanced and very natural.' Gramophone