• 01. Molto moderato e cantabile 12:45
Performed by Walter Gieseking
Music by Franz Schubert

• 02. Andante 07:02
Performed by Walter Gieseking
Music by Franz Schubert

• 03. Menuetto, Allegro moderato 03:50
Performed by Walter Gieseking
Music by Franz Schubert

• 04. Allegretto 08:55
Performed by Walter Gieseking
Music by Franz Schubert

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• Walter Gieseking - piano

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Franz Schubert's Sonata in G for piano is one of the very few sonatas with a completely tranquil mood. Naturally, there are changing moods which reflect the romantic idiom of the time, occasional dark and stormy sections, but mostly this is a light piece. This is a rare recording by Walter Gieseking from 1945. Gieseking's choice of tempos in this piece is somewhat faster than typical performances toward the late 20th century.
Born in Lyon, France in 1895 the son of a German doctor and entomologist, Walter Gieseking first started playing the piano at age 4, but without a teacher. His family travelled frequently and he was privately schooled. From 1911 to early 1916 he studied at the conservatorium in Hanover. His mentor was the director Karl Leimer, with whom he later co-authored a piano method. Because of his gifts - he had a natural technique, perfect pitch, and an abnormally acute photographic memory - he was able to learn repertoire with relatively little practice. As taught in the Gieseking-Leimer method, he usually studied new pieces away from the piano. It became well publicized that he often memorized new works while traveling by train, ship, or plane. He made his first appearance in 1915, but was conscripted in 1916 and spent the remainder of World War I as a regimental bandsman. He made his first London recital in 1923, and was soon regarded as one of the most outstanding interpreters of Debussy and Chopin. During World War II Gieseking continued to reside in Germany, while continuing his career in Europe. Because he performed in Nazi-occupied countries such as France, he was later accused of having collaborated with the Nazi Party. Like many German artists, Gieseking was blacklisted during the initial post-war period. By January 1947, however, he had been cleared by the U.S. Military Government and able to resume his career. Nevertheless, his initial U.S. return, scheduled for January 1949, was canceled. In 1953 he returned to the United States. His concert at Carnegie Hall was sold out and well received, and Gieseking was more popular than ever. During the postwar period, Gieseking made a large number of records, which were among the best selling classical discs of that era. His last recording project was the complete cycle of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. In 1956, Gieseking suddenly fell ill in London, however, during a recording of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 15. He had completed the first three movements and, the following day, was due to record the fourth. He died only a few days later.

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