The fact that
David Fray is French rather than German or Austrian, and the fact that Schubert, whose Moments Musicaux, Allegretto in C minor, and first set of Impromptus
Fray plays here, wasn't a composer at the dawn of his career but at the twilight of his life, may put this disc out of contention for some listeners because it challenges preconceptions about who can play Schubert, as well as just who Schubert was. There's no denying
Fray has the effortless technique to play these pieces, though they are not the most difficult works in the repertoire. There's no question that his weighty textures, deliberate tempos, and autumnal tone seem more suited to Brahms than to Schubert. What makes
Fray's Schubert convincing is neither his technique nor his tone, but the combination of the two, filtered through his acute sensibilities.
Fray clearly believes that Schubert's late piano works reveal a composer obsessed with mortality (and Schubert had cause to be; he'd been diagnosed with syphilis only a few years earlier), and his melancholy interpretations support his beliefs. This approach may not appeal to everyone; listeners who hope for
Perahia's sunny sparkle or
Schiff's loving lyricism are not likely to appreciate it, but others may find
Fray's Moments Musicaux and Impromptus enthralling. Virgin's digital sound is on the dark and heavy side, but it works for these performances.