Bone dry sonics, colorless piano tone, dynamics ranging from mezzo-piano to mezzo-forte, plus spiky, prosaic, lifeless phrasing: That about sums up Alain Planès 1998 recording of Schubert’s posthumous A major sonata, notwithstanding patches of pretty local details akin to wisps of moisture in the desert. Likewise, the D. 935 Impromptus are rendered as arid etchings–but we at least should give Planès credit for his excellently judged tempos and winged fingerwork in the B-flat Theme and Variations. If Harmonia Mundi wants to put Alain Planès’ best foot forward, why not reissue his far superior Debussy Preludes or Etudes instead of a Schubert recital that’s just as boring at mid-price as it was for top dollar? Save your money.
