Andreas Staier and Alexander Melnikov: Schubert Piano Duets review

Franz Schubert Fantasie in F minor and other piano duets
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Artist: Andreas Staier; Alexander Melnikov; Franz Schubert
Genre: Children's Music
Label: Harmonia Mundi

No other composer has left as large a legacy of piano duets as Franz Schubert. The excellent team of Andreas Staier and Alexander Melnikov present some of his greatest works in the medium – the Fantasy in F minor, D940, the Variations, D813 and the Rondo in A, D951 – in the company of shorter but not necessarily lighter marches and dances.

The muted soft pedal sounds of Christopher Clarke's copy of a Graf fortepiano and the percussive effects that surface in the marches are a reminder of how piano makers once strove to extend the potential of their instruments with one-man-band style extras. url.ie/55ay

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor