Schubert: Music for Piano Duet, Vol. 1

Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz

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Schubert: Music for Piano Duet, Vol. 1 Review

by James Leonard

For the most part, Schubert's music for piano duet is music meant to entertain. Perhaps he wrote it to entertain his dancing friends as in his Deutsche Tänze or maybe he wrote it only to entertain only the two players seated next to each other at the keyboard as in his many Marches militaries, Marches funèbre, Marches héroïque, and Marches caractéristiques. But those who look for the inward, the lyrical, and the sensitive in Schubert will not often find him in his marches. In this first volume of Christoph Eschenbach and Justus Frantz's early digital recordings of Schubert's piano duet music, there are lots of instantly memorable tunes, lots of infectious rhythms, lots of sound, and lots and lots of fury, and if there's not lots of soulful depth, well, the music here doesn't really call for it. Eschenbach and Frantz were both strong pianists with successful solo careers when they recorded these performances, and they seem to be enjoying themselves immensely with its pomps and circumstances. But while their enjoyment is quite irresistible, few may care to sit through an hour's worth of Grandes Marches et Trios, although judicious listening to one or two will certainly liven up an otherwise too serious Schubertiad. EMI's late stereo sound is rich, full, deep, and warm.

Track Listing - Disc 1

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Marches (6) for piano, 4 hands ("Grandes Marches"), D. 819 (Op. 40)
	1	No. 1 (Allegro maestoso) in E flat Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	08:32	Amazon
	2	No. 2 (Allegro ma non troppo) in G minor Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	06:40	Amazon
	3	No. 3 (Allegretto) in B minor Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	09:17	Amazon
	4	No. 4 (Allegro maestoso) in D Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	10:07	Amazon
	5	No. 5 (Andante) in E flat minor Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	13:34	Amazon
	6	No. 6 (Allegro con brio) in E Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	07:31	Amazon
Marches Militaires (3) for piano, 4 hands, D. 733 (Op. 51)
	7	No. 1 (Allegro vivace) in D Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	04:29	Amazon
	8	No. 2 (Allegro molto moderato) in G Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	03:38	Amazon
	9	No. 3 (Allegro moderato) in E flat Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	06:07	Amazon
German Dances (3) for piano, 4 hands (first dance with 2 trios and coda), D. 618
	10	Deutscher Tanz in G minor, D618 Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	05:20	Amazon
	11	Zwei Ländler in E, D618 Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	02:05	Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
	1	Grande marche funèbre for piano, 4 hands in C minor (on the death of Alexander I of Russia), D. 859 (Op. 55) Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	10:54	Amazon
	2	Grande marche héroïque for piano, 4 hands in A minor (for the coronation of Nicholas I of Russia), D. 885 (Op. 66) Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	17:26	Amazon
	3	March for piano, 4 hands in G major ("Kindermarsch"), D. 928 Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	03:25	Amazon
Marches caractéristiques (2) for piano, 4 hands in C major, D. 968b (D. 886) (Op. posth. 121)
	4	No. 1 (Allegro vivace) in C Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	07:03	Amazon
	5	No. 2 (Allegro vivace) in C Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	07:45	Amazon
Marches (3) for piano, 4 hands (Heroic), D. 602 (Op. 27)
	6	No. 1 (Allegro moderato) in B minor Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	05:26	Amazon
	7	No. 2 (Maestoso) in C Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	06:15	Amazon
	8	No. 3 (Moderato in D Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	07:07	Amazon
	9	Rondo for piano, 4 hands in A major ("Grand Rondo"), D. 951 (Op. 107) Franz Schubert	Christoph Eschenbach / Justus Frantz	12:59	Amazon