Schubert’s violin works are relatively neglected but they’re full of gorgeous melodies and attractive music. The three Sonatinas are really full-fledged sonatas; they were tagged with the diminutive by Diabelli when he published them in 1836. Written in 1816 when Schubert was 19, they’re products of a period distinguished by a carload of great songs, including Der Erlkonig and Gretchen am Spinnrade, and the Fifth Symphony. So these are hardly student works, despite occasional structural rough edges such as a faltering development section in the Allegro moderato movement of Op. 137 No. 2. The Rondo brillant dates from a decade later and reflects a freewheeling and more mature (though not less songful) composer.
The performances on this disc were recorded in 1964 and, along with versions of the Sonatinas by Joseph Suk and Arthur Grumiaux, were highly desirable items then as they are now in this splendid reissue. Alexander Schneider, better known as a pillar of the Budapest String Quartet and as a conductor, plays with firm tone, an instinctive gift for direct communication, and an equally instinctive feel for the shape of a melody and how to project it, all attributes necessary to Schubertians. He’s well partnered by the teenaged Peter Serkin, but Schneider’s the star here. Listen to how sweetly he sings the melody of the Op. 137 No. 2 Andante, his incisive way with the Menuetto of No. 3, or the way he shapes the rambling Rondo, every phrase pulsing with life. It’s great to have these wonderful performances back, sounding better than ever. [12/27/2000]
