Maurizio Pollini & Daniele Pollini – Schubert (UHQCD)

In June 2022, Maurizio Pollini, one of Italy’s most important pianists alongside Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and his Daniele went to the “Herkulessaal” in Munich to record a new studio album dedicated to three essential aspects of Schubert’s piano music: the sonatas, the cycles of short pieces, and the four-hand piano music. It was a labor of love for father and son, who share a special love for the Viennese composer, and it was the first time that they had rehearsed and performed a piece for four hands together: the elegiac F minor Fantasy from Schubert’s year of death, 1828. It was to be Maurizio Pollini’s last recording: he died in March 2024 at the age of 82. And so “Schubert” becomes a legacy and a hopeful glimpse into the future.

“With my father’s recent death, the perspective with which I imagined the record and the entire process of its realization inevitably changed,” says Daniele Pollini. What appeared to be a very special occasion became a one-time event that is indeed unrepeatable. I am therefore very happy that I had the opportunity to record this album dedicated to Schubert and to share his last recording with my father.” Universal Music Japan and Deutsche Grammophon are now releasing this touching and profound album by two generations of musicians for the first time in a brilliant-sounding UHQCD version.

UHQCD stands for Ultimate High Quality Compact Disc and is a joint development of the Japanese CD replication company Memory-Tech and the Audio Quality CD Company from Hong Kong. Unlike conventional CDs, UHQCDs are not pressed from polycarbonate, but cast from a photopolymer and cured with UV light. Another layer of high-purity polycarbonate is applied to the softer photopolymer for scratch protection. The combination results in significantly reduced reflection of laser light inside the CD and an unmatched precise edge transition between pits and lands of the CD. UHQCDs are 100% compatible with standard CD players. Musically, the result is a sound image strongly reminiscent of analog master tapes.

While Universal Music Japan’s first UHQCD series relied on the DSD data of previous SHM-SACD releases, with increasing popularity, albums that had not previously been released as SHM-SACD are now appearing. Typically, the Universal Archive master tapes are re-converted to DSD for this purpose. UHQCDs are ideal for music lovers who want to get as close as possible to the sound of the recording, but do not own an SACD player.

Lista pieselor

1. Piano Sonata No.18: I. Molto Moderato E Cantabile

2. Piano Sonata No.18: II. Andante

3. Piano Sonata No.18: III. Allegro Moderato

4. Piano Sonata No.18: IV. Allegretto

5. 6 Moments Musicaux: No. 1 In C Major (Moderato)

6. 6 Moments Musicaux: No. 2 In A-Flat Major (Andantino)

7. 6 Moments Musicaux: No. 3 In F Minor (Allegro Moderato)

8. 6 Moments Musicaux: No. 4 In C-Sharp Minor (Moderato)

9. 6 Moments Musicaux: No. 5 In F Minor (Allegro Vivace)

10. 6 Moments Musicaux: No. 6 In A-Flat Minor (Allegretto)

11. Fantasie F-Moll: I. Allegro Molto Moderato

12. Fantasie F-Moll: II: Largo

13. Fantasie F-Moll: III. Allegro Vivace

14. Fantasie F-Moll: IV. Tempo I