Andrew Achenbach
Classical Ear
October 2015

Steven Osborne's first solo Schubert recital brings playing of judicious refinement, unruffled poise and serenity (how beautifully he shapes the sublime secondary melody of the First Impromptu) combined with a tumbling fantasy and keen sense of direction that serve him especially well in the Third Impromptu's glorious theme and variations. He also rises magnificently to the challenge of the Three Piano Pieces, which enjoy enviably lucid and consistently nourishing advocacy. Schubert's 15-minute Variations from 1817 based on a tune by his good friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner (who outlived him by some 40 years and sat on the manuscript of the Unfinished Symphony for nearly as long) may not reach the same lofty heights as the rest, but there's still much to engage heart and brain—and anyway Osborne has such an unerring grasp of the bigger scheme that one listens spellbound. The pearly tone of the Scot's Steinway has been ideally captured by the Hyperion microphones, and this is indeed a Schubert anthology that can be enthusiastically recommended.

Classical Ear