Piano Sonata in D major, D 850 (Schubert)
Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 17 in D major, D. 850 (Op. 53), known as the Gasteiner, was written during August 1825 whilst the composer was staying in the spa town of Bad Gastein. A year later, it became only the second of his piano sonatas to be published. The sonata has four movements:
- Allegro vivace, D major
- Con moto, A major
- Scherzo: Allegro vivace, D major and trio in G major
- Rondo: Allegro moderato, D major
The work takes approximately 35 minutes to perform.
Synopsis
The sonata is noticeably faster in tempo than many other of Schubert's sonatas. Whereas Schubert would regularly restrain an Allegro movement with markings such as moderato or ma non troppo, in this sonata, both the first and third movements are marked with vivace. Even the slower second movement is marked with con moto, meaning with movement.
In the lively first movement, the themes mainly consist of repeated scales and chords. However, the pace and excitement of the movement still places considerable technical demands on the soloist. Also the second theme bears a resemblance to the opening melody of one of the songs Schubert also composed whilst staying in Bad Gastein, Das Heimweh, D. 851. The slower second movement has a brooding main theme combined with a sense of lively animation. Then follows a typical playful scherzo, but the trio section is more stately and serious, contrasting well with the other music. The rondo finale opens in the upper register with a march-like theme. The middle section starts with a lyrical theme that suddenly turns stormy. Like the first movement, the movement presents considerable challenges to the pianist throughout, both technically and interpretively.