Franz Schubert - Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 (Martin Helmchen)

Information

Composer: Franz Schubert

• Piano Sonata in E Major, D. 157
• Piano Sonata in F-Sharp Minor, D. 571
• Piano Sonata in D Major, D. 850
• Piano Sonata in C Major, D. 279
• Piano Sonata in A Minor, D. 784
• Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664

Martin Helmchen, piano

Date: 2025

Label: Alpha Classics

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German pianist Martin Helmchen launches a complete recording of Schubert’s piano sonatas, to be released in four double albums through 2028, marking the composer’s bicentenary. A lifelong interpreter of Schubert, Helmchen views his music as a balance of restrained virtuosity, lyrical joy, and emotional turbulence. In preparing the project, he carefully examined unfinished movements, choosing to complete them in the spirit of pianist Paul Badura-Skoda’s analyses. The first volume features sonatas from 1815 to 1825, performed on a Bösendorfer piano at the Kronberg Academy, marking the beginning of a deeply reflective and scholarly exploration of Schubert’s piano legacy.

Born in Berlin in 1982, Martin Helmchen is one of today’s leading pianists, acclaimed for his refined tone, depth of interpretation, and technical mastery. A student of Galina Iwanzowa, Arie Vardi, and later mentored by Alfred Brendel, he gained international recognition after winning the 2001 Clara Haskil Competition. He has since performed with top orchestras, including the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Concertgebouw, and major American ensembles, under conductors such as Blomstedt, Nelsons, and Jurowski. Deeply devoted to chamber music, he collaborates regularly with his wife, cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, and others. An exclusive Alpha artist, he won a 2020 Gramophone Award for his Beethoven concerto recordings.