Schubert: Ländler

While Aimard clearly has pondered every tempo, every phrase, and every dynamic gradation, the results sound fluid, natural, and never less than beautiful. Certainly the pianist benefits from a responsive vintage Steinway and gorgeous engineering.

Schubert wrote hundreds of short works for piano, and the over 100 dances included in this program are usually added as fillers to Piano Sonatas albums, as with Uchida and Brendel’s Schubert cycles.

Therefore, it’s fitting to start this review by praising Aimard’s curation. The sequencing thoughtfully avoids monotony while maintaining a natural flow, allowing the listener to enjoy the album in its entirety without it feeling fragmented.

Aimard’s performance is equally commendable. He sounds like a natural Schubertian, imbuing the pieces with elegance and charm. His masterful control of tone and voicing, particularly in the left-hand accompaniment, adds a subtle layer of refinement.

The instrument chosen for this recording deserves a mention as well. This 1956 Steinway D piano, once housed at the Rudolfinum in Prague and later acquired by Annemarie Schindler, was renovated by piano technician Stefan Knüpfer. Resonant and warm, it provides a superb platform for Aimard’s pianism.

Aimard himself contributes insightful commentary, highlighting the intimacy and vulnerability captured within these miniature works. A historical background by Philippe Cassard dives into the origins of the Ländler and Schubert’s approach to composing them. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the social context and influences that shaped these dances.

“Ländler” stands as a satisfying exploration of a lesser-known facet of the Schubert’s work. The combination of Aimard’s insightful performance, the meticulously chosen dances, and the informative booklet text makes this album a captivating listen. Hopefully, Aimard would treat us to more Schubert in the future, especially the late Piano Sonatas.

Well, here’s an unusual album. The pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard is one of those French intellectual musicians with three brains, fearlessly wading through Boulez and other thickets of the contemporary repertoire. So what is he playing here? A healthy selection of Schubert’s Ländler: popular dance pieces written for domestic consumption, so brief and simple that this 68-minute album contains more than 100 of them, mostly in waltz rhythms — all over just after they’ve begun.

Since it’s Schubert, simplicity doesn’t mean superficiality. “Schubert,” Aimard tells us, “manages to plunge us into the heart of the sweetness, ambiguity and vertigo of the realm between life and death.” But whether you feel plunged into such twilight or not, it’s abundantly clear that Aimard’s approach to these miniature jewels is entirely suitable and rewarding. He shapes and shades the notes with poise and subtle inflections, yet nothing becomes overdone, precious or brittle.

The 70-year-old Steinway he plays (we’re given its exact model number) is equally special, with a particularly bright upper register perfect for spotlighting the intimacy and vulnerability of Schubert’s melodies, as fragile and beautiful as butterflies as they flit over the keyboard with a lifespan of 30 or 40 seconds. Under the authentic Schubert spell, I would happily have listened on for much longer.