Alfred Brendel - Schubert: Piano Sonata in A minor D 845, 3 Klavierstücke D 946 (1989)

This disc, another installment in Brendel's outstanding Schubert series, recorded in digital sound for Philips in the late 1980's, comprises the A minor sonata, which was the first of Schubert's sonatas to be published (1825) and the three Klavierstucke D.946, late pieces that were assembled by Brahms and published in 1868, forty years after the composer's death. William Kinderman, in his liner notes, observes that thematic material from the A minor sonata was used in a contemporaneous song called "Gravedigger's Lament," the lyrics of which included the verse "Abandoned by all, cousin only to death, I wait at the brink, staring longingly into the grave."
As I've mentioned in reviews of other volumes in this series, Brendel has a well-deserved reputation as a distinguished Schubert player. His awareness of the difficulties in Schubert's writing translates into sensitively nuanced interpretations that are grounded in the composer's weltanschauung. While Brendel communicates the proximity of death in the composer's late works, this is not the thematic focus of his Schubert. Instead, there is detailed architectural structure and forward momentum against a backdrop that reflects a genuine understanding of Schubert's musical world. All in all, Brendel's Schubert is among the best I've heard.
The recorded sound is excellent; warmly recommended.