Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Anna Prohaska, Ludwig Quandt, Lara St. John - Schubert (2014) [HDTracks]

The disorganized booklet and diverse program may make it hard for potential buyers to tell what they're getting into with this Schubert program, featuring the (former?) enfant terrible of the violin, Lara St. John. In fact St. John's performance in the Sonatina for violin and piano, D. 384, is straightforward. The aim seems to be to present a chamber program as it might have occurred in the 19th century, heavy on arrangements for the musicians on hand at the time. The unusual element is the harp, in the person here of Berlin Philharmonic principal Marie-Pierre Langlamet. She appears in an accompanimental role in Schubert's Gesänge des Harfners, appropriately enough, although this thematic aspect isn't developed in the rest of the program. She plays several of Schubert's impromptus solo, with delightful effect. Outside of that there are other chamber pieces, including the Sonata for arpeggione and piano, D. 821. Although it's time people began to try this out on the instrument for which it was written (reconstructions exist), the combination of cello and harp here catches something of what must have been the flavor. This is something of a mixed bag, but it's a Schubert recital with a novel idea.