Hideyo Harada's 2011 release of Franz Schubert's Fantasy in C major, D. 760, "Wanderer Fantasy," and the Piano Sonata No. 21 in B flat major, D. 960, is an impressive-sounding hybrid SACD that will appeal most to audiophiles for its spectacular reproduction.
Harada plays these masterpieces with vivid presence and a touch that is almost palpable. The "Wanderer Fantasy" is a four-movement piece based on a motive derived from the lied, Der Wanderer, and it is Schubert's most virtuosic work for piano. The Sonata in B flat major is one of the composer's longest compositions, and like other pieces of his final years, the expansive time frame is integral to the music's form.
Harada's style of playing is extremely Romantic and notable for her frequent use of rubato, so the interpretations are subjective and expression is emphasized over rhythmic consistency.