I’ve always believed that Daniel Barenboim feels more leeway as a chamber musician than as a conductor: when collaborating with a few like-minded souls rather than an entire orchestra, he can at least indulge his sense of adventure, his penchant not to stick with the same interpretation. He’ll have a chance to prove it once more at this Sunday’s sampler of Schubert’s music for four hands, which he’ll perform with longtime pal Radu Lupu. The three pieces in this recital–Introduction and Variations on an Original Theme, Fantasy in F Minor, and Sonata in C (otherwise known as the “Grand Duo”)–are superb examples of this fairly limited genre, and they’re rarely performed these days. The latter two, especially, rival any of Schubert’s late sonatas–and for that matter, Beethoven’s–in their technical complexity and spiritual transcendence. Though the Romanian-born, Moscow-trained Lupu still remains a second-tier star and not quite Barenboim’s league, one can expect him to follow Barin Barenboim’s lead and rise to the occasion. Sunday, 3 PM, Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan; 435-6666.
