Superb reviews for Steven Osborne’s Schubert
Steven Osborne's latest recording of Schubert's Sonata in A major, D959, and six Moments Musicaux, D780, for Hyperion Records, has been drawing excellent reviews
‘Steven Osborne has long been a Schubertian, and this recording is unmissable... Osborne shows us Schubert grappling with the nuances and complexities of human emotion. It's music full of life, in other words. He chooses nimble tempos for the opening Allegro, contrasting its robust chordal opening with a more fragile beauty and leading us through its 15-minute expanse with an unerring sense of structure and pace... The Scherzo has a rare eloquence in Osborne's hands, while he makes the lyrical Rondo sing sweetly until it reaches its robust, triumphant close... Published in 1828, the year of Schubert's death, but written across a period of five years, the six Moments musicaux make a good pairing on this album. They are beautifully and intelligently played.’
BBC Music Magazine
*****
‘The pianist Steven Osborne has been recording for Hyperion for 27 years. In that time he’s been exemplary in the core classical repertoire (Beethoven and friends) and has also excelled in 20th-century fare, from the thickets of Tippett to the spartan landscapes of Morton Feldman. At present Schubert is beckoning... No matter where the composer’s emotions lead him, Osborne stands ready and waiting, striding along one moment, stroking the keys the next, and in the rondo finale riding those waves of calm euphoria that were Schubert’s special preserve. This is a deeply rewarding performance... Refreshment, illumination, sorrow and joy: Schubert’s music and Osborne’s fingers easily embrace them all.’
The Times
*****
Best Classical Albums of 2025 So Far
‘Osborne’s performance conveys an impressive sense of both the expansive scale of the four-movement work and its lyrical ebullience. He gives the opening gesture (which will return in the final moments to devastating effect) all the grandeur it needs, perfectly balanced against the delicacy of the figuration that follows, and as the performance unfolds, every detail is just as perfectly calibrated.’
The Guardian
****
‘Not only does Osborne find what feels like a perfect timeless tempo, but when the movement explodes into uncontrolled fury in the middle the sense of visceral shock is almost overwhelming... Osborne captures not just the power of that pivotal middle movement but the trajectory of the whole Sonata, and the set of Schubert miniatures – six of his Moments musicaux – that comes after the sonata are perfectly gauged. This is a performance of D959 that was still resonating in my mind long after I’d finished listening: it’s that good.’
BBC Record Review
Record of the Week
‘If Steven Osborne, who is now 54, never recorded another note, his large and varied discography would be the envy of many a pianist. His latest release returns to Schubert, mining a vein that has already yielded riches... As the opening material returns embellished to conclude the movement, its sorrow is gripping. This sombre mood is immediately dispelled by a sprightly Scherzo, its Trio evoking a contredanse of the Austrian Tyrol. There is nothing rushed in the concluding Allegretto, which unfolds with a beguiling sense of leisure. Here, as in the first movement, voicing is exquisite, with the overall sonic terrain sculpted and proportionate...
‘The Moments musicaux speak with a morning freshness throughout, each imbued with its own unmistakably individual identity. Just a few of the many highlights would have to include the vivid shifts of character in the A flat Andantino (No 2), the studious intricacy of the C sharp minor (No 4) and the wild ride of the Allegro vivace (No 5), both exhilarating and just a bit scary. All this is accomplished without a trace of sentimentality and a gorgeous singing sound throughout.’
‘The virility of the opening movement is counterpointed by a tenderness in the second that veers daringly towards self-pity before pulling back to moderate pathos. Playfulness returns in the later sections. Osborne leaves us in no doubt that, contrary to much academic speculation, these are not deathbed musings. On the contrary, Schubert seems to be pushing into Beethoven territory, leaving the last sonatas irresolute and still teeming with ambition.’
The Critic
****
‘Osborne tends to excel in Schubert’s more introspective passages, highlighting nuances often overlooked in more extroverted performances. The opening movement of the sonata is an example of Osborne’s careful balance between strength and subtlety. While his playing doesn’t match Mitsuko Uchida’s imposing chordal impact, it offers refined clarity, especially noticeable in the delicate arpeggios and pristine runs. The lyrical E major second theme is particularly well-handled, displaying warmth and calm, reflective of Osborne’s best qualities as a Schubert interpreter.’
