Much lauded for her interpretations of Hans Gáls concerto and chamber music works, Sarah Beth Briggs now presents the composers beguiling Three Preludes alongside well-loved works by three of his greatest Austrian forebears: Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert.

Following meticulous examination of the original scores, Briggs sensitively translates the authentic character of each work to the resources of a modern piano with revelatory results.

A leading recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician, and a long-standing pupil of the late Denis Matthews, Briggs gained a Hindemith Scholarship to study chamber music in Switzerland with celebrated violist Bruno Giuranna, and continued her studies there with renowned Arrau pupil, Chilean pianist Edith Fischer.

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809)
1. Variations on Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (7.28)

Piano Sonata in C, Hob. XVI/50 (15.25)
2. Allegro (6.33)
3. Adagio (6.19)
4. Allegro molto (2.33)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)

Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310 (20.11)
5. Allegro maestoso (5.56)
6. Andante cantabile con espressione (11.08)
7. Presto (3.07)

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)
Piano Sonata in A, D. 664 (21.00)
8. Allegro moderato (8.09)
9. Andante (5.14)
10. Allegro (7.37)

Hans Gál (1890 – 1987)
Three Preludes, Op. 65 (1944) (9.28)
11. Vivacissimo (2.40)
12. Lento e tranquillo (4.35)
13. Presto grazioso e con anima (2.13)

The Austrian Connection, released this past June 5th, 2020 via AVIE Records, opens with Haydn's magnificently tempered, ornately embroidered 'Variations on Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser,' before moving seamlessly in his three-part 'Piano Sonata in C, Hob. XVI/50.'

The vibrantly perky 'Allegro' opens, before giving us the more thought-provoking 'Adagio,' with the upbeat, cheery jaunt of 'Allegro molto' bringing Haydn piece to an end.

Up next is Mozart's 'Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310,' whose 'Allegro maestoso' is simply a free flowing, and passionate work of musical art all by itself.

That's followed by the more precise key work of 'Andante cantabile con espressione,' before the expansively bubbly 'Presto' rounds out that work.

Schubert's 'Piano Sonata in A, D. 664' is my own personal favorite here, opening, as it does, with the dulcet majesty of 'Allegro moderato,' before bringing forth the softly orchestrated 'Andante' and then the always-a-joy-to-behold, enthusiastic ambiance of 'Allegro.'

The last work is Gál's short 'Three Preludes, Op. 65' which opens on the frenetically determined, yet at all times cultured, key work of 'Vivacissimo,' which is then backed by the delicately graceful 'Lento e tranquillo,' with Gál's piece, along with Briggs' work coming to a close on the excited fervor of 'Presto grazioso e con anima.'

Official CD Purchase Link

www.SarahBethBriggsPianist.co.uk