CD Review | Schubert: Melodist (Analekta, 2024)

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Schubert: Melodist
Mathieu Gaudet, piano
Analekta, 2024

This album represents the ninth volume in Gaudet’s Schubertian project. Melodist contains the Sonata in C major D610, the 12 German Dances D790 and the Impromptus D899. Gaudet’s pianism always guarantees control and expressiveness at the highest level. It is not easy to find pianists who know how to give proof of clarity and sobriety, while transmitting warmth to the listener.

The album opens with the Sonata in C major D610. Gaudet’s playing shines through right from the start, in the Moderato. The Adagio is a moment of great intimacy, while the Allegretto is marked by moderation, and expressive contrasts. The first and third movements were completed by Gaudet himself, with the support of the reference editions of Henle edited by Paul Badura-Skoda, and Wiener Urtext edited by Martino Tirimo.

This sonata is followed by the 12 German Dances, which take the audience into an extremely refined salon world. Gaudet’s musicality brings this atmosphere to life. Worthy of note are Dances Nos. 2 and 5, which represent two moments of high drama and musical expressiveness, among a musical context that is otherwise much lighter. The album closes with the famous 4 Impromptus, D899. The first (in C minor) is a piece of Beethovenian dramaturgy: austere, static and of great effect. The second (in E-flat major) is Mendelssohnian in volatility and lightness. The third (in G flat major) is one of the most famous pieces in the piano repertoire: Gaudet plays it with great sobriety, without indulging in useless romanticism that would be out of place. The last one (in A-flat major) is also marked by the purest sobriety. Another great recording from Mathieu Gaudet.

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