David Fray’s previous Schubert release containing the Moments musicaux and D. 899 Impromptus crossed the thin line between interpretive refinement and mannered micro-managing. Happily, that’s not the case here. Fray keeps the G major D. 894 sonata’s long first movement afloat (complete with exposition repeat) in long, flexible arcs, and organizes the dynamics with care. The same holds true for the Andante, where Fray’s balancing of the legato right-hand octaves against the left hand’s rotary accompaniment creates a transparently mobile texture. Fray phrases the main Menuetto theme with a more lilting, less emphatic touch than Volodos, together with a convincingly expansive, ruminative Trio. Fray ‘s prism-like sonority and attention to balances lend interest to the Finale, although Volodos’ playful inflections uncover more of the music’s brusque humor.
One might compare Fray’s suavely dispatched Hungarian Melody to a truffle, in contrast to the sharply accented embellishments in András Schiff’s nougat-laced morsel. Fray invites his erstwhile Paris Conservatory professor Jacques Rouvier to participate in two piano duets. While I appreciate the heft and swagger that Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne bring to the A minor Allegro “Lebenssturme”, Fray and Rouvier’s finely honed, albeit smaller-scaled traversal is no less enjoyable, and also observes the repeats. By contrast, their tasteful yet soft-grained F minor Fantasia underplays the dynamic contrasts and harmonic felicities that Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu convey with likeminded cultivation. Compare, for example, the latter duo’s exquisitely-shaded trills in the Largo alongside the relatively matter-of-fact Fray and Rouvier, and you’ll hear what I mean. However, such critical hairsplitting should not undermine the high level of intelligence and artistry gracing what may well be David Fray’s finest release to date.
