Paul Lewis' ongoing cycle of late Schubert piano works here is notable not only for its remarkably thoughtful and beautifully finished pianism but also for its correcting the perception of Schubert as a composer of cheerful, cozy, Biedermeier salon works. Once the Austrian composer was diagnosed with syphilis, in 1822, the expressive nature and message of his music changed. Sorrow and melancholy became more evident, even in works wearing a sunny exterior.
That sense of tears barely disguised by laughter was palpable throughout much of the second installment of the British pianist's two-season Schubert survey, Sunday afternoon at Orchestra Hall. Lewis' deep insights into the emotional complications of this music were matched by his firm grasp of classical structure and the ways in which Schubert's lyrical gift illuminates that structure. This was Schubert playing of a very high order.
Lewis' program focused on works dating from the final four years of Schubert's tragically short life (he died in 1828, at 31). Two masterpieces – the four Impromptus, Opus 90 (D.899) and the Piano Sonata in G major (D.894) – were set off by less familiar fare, notably the 12 Waltzes (D.145) and "Hungarian Melody" in B minor (D.817).