SCHUBERT Arpeggione Sonata in A Minor, D. 821 · Introduction & Variations, D. 802 / Alfons Kontarsky | Deutsche Grammophon

For almost three decades, the brothers Alfons and Aloys Kontarsky were the world’s leading piano duo. They set the standard for all subsequent pairs of siblings to play the piano. Even today, their musical and analytical acuity and intellectual insight remain unrivalled. 

The highly talented musicians studied with the legendary pianist Eduard Erdmann, who described the brothers as ‘ingenious’. What is particularly fascinating about their playing is the lucid, transparent sound. They inspired numerous contemporary composers to write new, intricately difficult pieces, while at the same time interpreting the works of the classical and romantic repertoire clearly, consistently and without superfluous sentimentality. 

This album of works by Schubert is the fourth of five albums, which are new to the digital supply chain and were released at irregular intervals over the past few months. The first of the five albums, featuring works by Bizet, Fauré and Milhaud, was released digitally on 20 March. The second album, also of works by Schubert, was released on 27 March. The third album featuring Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals in new English text versions was released on 10 April. The fifth album, also featuring works by Schubert, was released on 8 May.