In Schubert’s cheerful E flat major Sonata, the listener is unaware that the composer struggled for a long time to arrive at its final version. Initial sketches date back to 1817, then still in a three-movement version and in the key of D flat major; Schubert probably only completed the sonata shortly before his death. It was published posthumously in 1829. The E flat Sonata is one of Schubert’s lesser-known piano sonatas. But it is an enchantingly lyrical work. This is achieved by many fine shadings, the avoidance of any greater drama (all the movements end quietly and in a subdued manner), and a rocking, flowing triple meter in the outer movements. A single “heavenly length” ... The Preface by Schubert expert Andrea Lindmayr-Brandl and the detailed Comments section provide extensive information on the work’s genesis, the sources and variant readings. A further highlight of the edition is the fingering by the renowned Schubert interpreter Martin Helmchen.