Franz Schubert - Hungarian Melody for Piano in B minor, D. 817 - Piano Sonata in G major, D. 894 - Moments musicaux, D. 780 - Allegretto for Piano in C minor, D. 915 - Impromptus for Piano, D. 935 - Piano Sonata in B flat major, D. 960 - András Schiff pf - ECM 2425–26, 2015 (2 CDs: 146 minutes), $28

TLDR: In this article, the authors present a collection of recordings from the Théâtre Italien during Gallay's hey-day, with the horn and the piano placed in the background.

Abstract: original performers of these works would have used. Timbral variety – in both the horn and piano – is another delightful feature of this recording. This feature presents itself from note to note as Scott varies the amount of stopping used to control pitch and vary colour. The period piano, while less varied in timbre from register to register than a fortepiano, also exhibits a spectrum of tonal possibility, revealed beautifully by Devine. The album is recorded intimately, as if the listener were attending a recital in a small yet flattering hall, with the horn’s presence fairly forward on the soundstage and the piano placed a bit in the background. Scott’s liner notes are impeccably researched and show sensitivity to the programming of repertoire, historical research and thoughtful storytelling. Replete with quotations from periodicals of the era and detailed analyses of each work, her accompanying essay helps to bring the entire recorded performance to life. Overall, this collection – the performances, programme, instrument choice, liner notes, even the album artwork depicting the Théâtre Italien during Gallay’s heyday – provides a delightful and comprehensive representation of the zenith of this repertoire, presented at the highest levels of musical, technical and scholarly sophistication. A listener whose ears are open to the artistic and timbral possibilities of an instrument taken to its absolute peak during a period of technological upheaval cannot find a better reward than this fascinating recording.