Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Sviatoslav Richter :: Beethoven: Out of Later Years, Vol. 4

Land mark play of Beethoven

Chi-Shao Lin | Los Angeles, USA | 01/19/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Richter's playing always has a sense of undeniable rightness, especially in Beethoven. Although he is always a pianist who care nothing but the music itself, his playing in his late years reaches a status of maturity that it transcents, and almost no longer belong to the world. In this recording, everything is perfect- the rythem, tone control, and the structure and emotion balance. Even the idea that "imperfection is the essence of perfection" is embedded in his playing philosophy. The funeral mark is so emotional deep that it freezes everything and keeps one thinking. As it proceeds one is brought to a further step lower while every time one feels it is the bottom. As to Op. 111, there is no parallel, not even a close one. One moment the undescribable tempo move one's mind as well as his feet, the next the enormous regret and empty feeling sends one to the outter space, then at the last few notes one is saved by the ultimate humanity that only exists in Beethoven. After this record, one will feel there is nothing more profound than the 2nd movemen of the Op. 111, and only Richter in the existing recording can ever reach that level. Mayber there is a better recording on Op. 111 - the Philips "authorized recording" of , again, Richter."