Jonathan Biss Begins Three-Part Schubert Series

Pianist Jonathan Biss (photograph by Benjamin Ealovega, courtesy of SFP)

Last night in Herbst Theatre San Francisco Performances presented pianist Jonathan Biss launching his Echoes of Schubert series of three recitals. The programs have been structured around the last three piano sonatas to be composed by Franz Schubert: D. 958 in C minor, D. 959 in A major, and D. 960 in B-flat major. Thus, the second half of last night’s program was devoted entirely to D. 958, which was coupled, at the beginning, with the first of the four D. 935 impromptus, composed in the key of F minor. This was complemented by an encore performance of the third of the four D. 899 impromptus, this one in G-flat major.

Each program will also include a recent composition that serves as a contemporary reflection on Schubert’s late works. Last night’s selection was “…Expansions of Light” by Tyson Gholston Davis, which was receiving its second performance. The work is framed by two “Arietta” movements, which “enclose” an Interlude. Ironically, the “Arietta” genre is a reflection on late Beethoven, which contrasts sharply with late Schubert! The music itself was conceived as a “response” to the “call” of Helen Frankenthaler’s Winter Light painting.

This was an impressive undertaking, but it never managed to get beyond being “upstaged” by the late Schubert selections. D. 958 ruled over the entire evening, and it was clearly the primary platform for Biss’ expressiveness. However, while there was no doubting the intensity of his delivery, I was never particularly impressed by his approach to the sonata as a metaphorical journey, an approach to interpretation that, in the past, I have associated with András Schiff. Mind you, I did not expect that Biss would approach Schubert the same way that Schiff did; but, over the course of the four movements, I was never quite sure just what his own approach to interpretation was. The notes were all there, but they never seemed to come together in an overall framework.

That said, it has been some time since my last encounter with D. 958. I appreciated the opportunity afforded by this program series. If I never quite found myself “on the same page” as Biss during my listening experience, I certainly learned much about his approaches to interpretation. Perhaps those experiences will shine a different light on my thoughts when he advances to D. 959.