Recently ruminating on the G major Sonata, Op 79, I was struck by its operatic essence. Performing it recently for the first time in my life I was astonished at its operatic power.
One listener asked who the characters are in this opera. Good question. Fantastic creatures, surely: sprites and demons, not your regular heroines and bad guys. Another listener, wanting to know whether it was really true that Schubert composed operas, prompted me to consult my Grove Dictionary. I counted more than 18, including sketches and unfinished works.
Whether or not they made it onto the stage and into history Schubert's operas must have been very much on his mind.
They were all there in my playing that remarkable work last night.
