Sonata in A Major Op. 120, D. 664 (Schubert)

This sonata has one foot in classicism; its symmetry, charm, and structure are all very reminiscent of a Mozart sonata. Yet it has another foot firmly in romanticism because the breadth of its emotion (especially in the middle movement) is evocative of a depth of spirit whose expression is the very definition of romanticism. In the first movement, the simple lyricism of the melodies are paradigmatic of classicism, and yet in the development of the same movement are ascending octave scales which betray a far more sublime affect, undisclosed just before and just after. Similarly, the appoggiaturas in the second movement are nothing short of heart-wrenching, and yet they give way to a lively and cheerful allegro for the final movement. Although this sonata is not yet the Schubert of the later, epic sonatas (D. 958-960), it is extremely interesting to witness this phenomenon of a composer who straddles the equilibrium of his predecessors and the passion of those who would soon come.

The vast majority of the material works wonderfully on two guitars, but we did encounter several difficulties, especially in the development of the third movement. The drastic use of extreme highs and lows of the piano’s range at such a high tempo were clearly not meant for two guitars. Yet, with the astonishing development of guitar technique over the past decade (especially the ping-pong trick mastered by Mela Quartet), we were able to find solutions for everything which are not only extremely fun to execute but which yield an entirely convincing result.