SCHUBERT: Sonata in G Major, Op. 78 (D. 894) - complete performance | Cory Hall, pianist

#schubert #sonata #sheetmusic #pianocover

I. Molto moderato e cantabile [0:07]
II. Andante [19:17]
III. Menuetto & Trio: Allegro moderato [28:57]
IV. Allegretto [33:47]

This is a complete performance of Schubert's four-movement Sonata in G Major including all repeats. My tempo choices are unconventional, but I think they lead to more wholesome Schubert than the traditional tempos. I derived all my tempi from my research into J.S. Bach's tempo system, which culminated in my book, "Tempo & Duration in the Music of Bach: Uncovering J.S. Bach's science of tempo, symbolism, and proportion" (BachScholar Publishing, 2025). Basically, the tempi I choose for Schubert are the tempi Bach would have played. If you are interested in the topic of tempo and want to to a deep-dive into Bach's tempo system, please get my book!

I have noticed in Schubert playing it has become fashionable to speed up when the music gets loud and slow down when the music gets soft. For example, in the second movement virtually all pianists speed up when the 32nd notes appear and the music is fortissimo, then they slow back down when it becomes soft again. Schubert does not indicate to change tempi, yet pianists feel the need to do it. I do not fall into this trap. I choose to retain the exact same tempo and to emphasize the two-note slurs, which most pianists ignore with such fast tempi. Also, it has become fashionable to choose different tempi for each of the themes, even though Schubert does not indicate this. For example, it is rare to find a pianist who does not speed up in the first movement in bar 27 for the second theme. Just because there are dotted-note rhythms, pianists feel the need to speed up. I do not fall into this trap either. Notice how in the first movement my tempo is absolutely solid from the beginning up to the development section, where I do play a faster tempo.

I play the second movement slower than all other pianists with a timing of 9:36. The only pianist who comes close is Sokolov, whose timing is 9:26. Most performances last around 8:00 or even faster. This is simply too fast for this movement. Also, as mentioned earlier, I keep one solid tempo throughout instead of playing a new tempo each time a new theme appears. I do this also in the third movement by playing the Menuetto and Trio at exactly the same tempo instead of dramatically different tempi according to standard convention.

Probably the movement in which my performance deviates from the norm the most is the fourth movement, which I play about four minutes slower than the average performance. This is a huge difference! For example, my performance takes 12:36 whereas Pollini's performance takes 7:40. This means I play the fourth movement a full five minutes slower than one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. I guess this means the faster the better, right? NOT! Go have a listen to Pollini's performance of the fourth movement then listen to mine and ask yourself which one is music and which one is a bunch of fast notes played really fast with tons of great technique with absolutely no sensitivity or cultivation.

Pollini proves to us that playing Schubert is not about showing off your technique and how fast you can play, but rather, it's about the music. I honestly believe it is a curse to be a "virtuoso" because it makes it too easy to play everything too fast. It might be a blessing to be a virtuoso for Chopin and Liszt, but not for Schubert since his music requires a different kind of virtuosity, a virtuosity of the mind over the fingers. I think many amateurs play Schubert better than many professionals and conservatory trained virtuosos simply because the latter allows speed and virtuosity to take precedence over sensitive music making.

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