Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata op. 143 in a minor was composed in February 1823 following his large “Wanderer Fantasy”. With its formal coherence and mature originality, the a-minor Sonata initiated a new phase in Schubert’s sonata oeuvre. The composition avoids any superficial virtuosity, but nevertheless places great technical demands on the performer. At the same time, the richness of colour and sonority are triumphant to such an extent that the work is one of Schubert’s most frequently perfor...