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David Fray: Schubert album introduces an element of coincidence

  Tobias

For David Fray, the Schubert album also marked a return to his earliest memories, as he confessed in a short feature shown to journalists at the eve of the record's release: „My brother and me had a disc with the story of the life of Schubert. On the disc, there's the third „moment musical“. My brother and me just enjoyed the music so much as well as the stories about Schubert's life. It was just for children. But you remember these things.“ To him, Schubert was especially appealing because of its lyrical qualities, its ability of approximating the human voice. There was an intimacy in the notes absent from the scores of other composers, which could be compared to talking with a close friend and which could be described as a „familiar language“.

In the above-mentioned interview, David Fray also expressed his views about how Schubert differed from someone like Beethoven: „With Beethoven, each note is part of a progression and of the structure. With Schubert, there is sometimes a coincidence. As if you're walking and suddenly you see something from nature – you enjoy the moment.“ Thus, as Fray put it, you have to „accept to get lost“. And always, he imagines these solo Piano pieces as really being written for a larger orchestral body: „Try imagining the first impromptu. It begins with an orchestral tutti. Then a melody appears, as though it were played by a Flute. The brass are taking over the theme, before the strings come in.“

Coinciding with the release of the Schubert disc, David Fray will also be embarking on a European tour, of which the following dates have been confirmed:

11.10. – Berlin (Philharmonie) – Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 3
13.10. – Hamburg (Laeiszhalle) – Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 3
18.10. – Dresden (Semperoper) – Echo-Klassik Gala
03.11. – Genf (Victoria Hall) – Mozart: Klavierkonzert Nr. 25
21.11. – Telfs (Villa Schindler) – Recital: Schubert

The Schubert album will be released on October 9th, followed by an appearance at the ceremony of this year's Klassik Echo, Germany's biggest award in the world of classical music.

Homepage: David Fray
Homepage: EMI Classics