Previous Naxos releases testify to pianist Bernd Glemser’s sure command of Rachmaninov’s gnarly piano writing and Scriabin’s structural restlessness. So it comes as no surprise just how well Glemser acquits himself in two of Schumann’s most difficult nuts to crack. Both sonatas’ sprawling outer movements benefit from Glemser’s keenly balanced polyphony and rock-solid tempos. His lyrical sensibility particularly shines in the Third Sonata’s “Clara Wieck” variations. The pianist revels in the First Sonata Scherzo’s ricocheting dotted rhythms while allowing the bass lines enough room to breathe and the central Polonaise to truly soar. While I ultimately lean toward Arrau, Perahia, Andsnes, and Gilels for their longer-lined animation in the F-sharp minor Sonata’s first movement, and although I prefer Horowitz’s more volatile, poetic account of the “Concerto Without Orchestra”, overall there’s much to admire in this solidly recommendable disc.
