Juana Zayas plays Schumann (2004)

When Juana Zayas plays Schumann, she has a complete faithfulness to his writing and tempo and dynamic markings, yet her performances are never dryly academic. Here she chooses two of Schumann's most famous large-scale works: the Sonata in G minor, Op. 22, and the Fantasie in C major, Op. 17. Even though the sonata is a "large-scale" work, it is noted for its compactness and concision, packing a lot into just over 15 minutes. Zayas has such focused energy in the first movement that it's hard to go on to the next movement ... Read More

When Juana Zayas plays Schumann, she has a complete faithfulness to his writing and tempo and dynamic markings, yet her performances are never dryly academic. Here she chooses two of Schumann's most famous large-scale works: the Sonata in G minor, Op. 22, and the Fantasie in C major, Op. 17. Even though the sonata is a "large-scale" work, it is noted for its compactness and concision, packing a lot into just over 15 minutes. Zayas has such focused energy in the first movement that it's hard to go on to the next movement without more of a pause than is given to catch your breath. The other movements are no less confident, and she knows how to blend the tender, song-like sections with the more heroic ones without jarring mood swings. The same warm tenderness is applied to the Romance and Widmung, both of which provide some relief between the sonata and Fantasie, but she keeps them rooted so that they don't wander off into indulgent, romantic daydreams. For the Fantasie, compared to the sonata, Zayas is... Read Less