Richter's Glorious Debussy
Sergey Schepkin | Boston, Massachusetts | 06/11/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I chanced to find this CD at Tower Records in Boston while I was looking for recordings of the First Book of Debussy Preludes. I immediately felt something uniquely special about it even without listening to it, and was not disappointed. This is arguably the finest recording of this repertoire ever - the accompanying Chopin is wonderful, too, in its electrifying urgency. However, it is the Debussy that is, to me, the main attraction of this disc. Compared to Richter's, even the classic version by Gieseking sounds bland (not to mention a number of technical problems that Gieseking didn't seem to have been able to solve, and that did not even exist for Richter!). The variety of sonorities that Richter gets out of his piano is astounding; what is even more astounding is the fact that this variety is generated not just by Richter's sonic imagination, but also by his unflinching attention to the details of the score. Richter's playing, in general, may appear slightly "impersonal" - however, it is precisely that quasi-detachment that makes his interpretation so tantalizing. Indeed, Richter's personality serves this particular repertoire the best, for both Debussy's creative method and Richter's interpretation are based on bringing forth a vast plethora of musical and extra-musical associations via the the deceptively simple, but, in fact, super-sophisticated means. For comparison purposes, I also listened to the new recording of Pollini on DG, and was very disappointed. Pollini's recording features what one may consider the proverbial "good piano sound" (albeit too closely miked) and a great dexterity (although Richter beats him there, too), but the crudity and insensitivity of his interpretation are deplorable. I encourage everyone who is interested in Debussy or Richter (or in great piano playing) to get hold of this fabulous Richter recording - the Second Book of Preludes is as tremendous as the First; the only minus that one can find in this album is the absence of "La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin" and "Minstrels"; listening to "Bruyeres" and "General Lavine" from Book Two made me think about how wonderful Richter would have been in those First Book Preludes that he chose to leave out. That, however, is quite amply compensated for by the two great versions of "La Serenade Interrompue"! The brochure features excellent notes on Richter by his disciple Alexander Melnikov."
Recommended, with a reservation
John Grabowski | USA | 12/11/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Normally I don't let the sound of the recording influence me much. I have listened to, and recommended, some terrible-sounding CDs. But I have to admit I found this set a bit hard to listen to, mainly because the sound is recessed and soft through many of the works. Most of these were apparently recorded from somewhere in the audience, so that coughs and applause are loud and the piano is at times fairly weak. (If you're listening through headphones remember to turn the volume down after each piece, or the audience applause will blast your eardrums.) It's a pity too, because Richter was in top form in these concers, spread between 1963 and 1967. He recorded some of these pieces many times, but arguably never better than here.His Chopin is among his most sensitive and delicate on record. As the Amazon reviewer comments, often SR's Chopin could be a bit brittle, but here he breathes and sighs and treats us to intimate shadings so subtle as to defy verbal description. Yet this is decidedly not "overly-delicate." There are a few twists and turns that I wonder about, in terms of correctness, but I don't have a score and really shouldn't nitpick. There are some abrupt tempo and dynamic changes that are wilder than I've ever heard before and also would leave most pianists with lesser technical equipment in the dust, but Richter navigates them without difficulty. This is some of the finest Chopin he ever recorded. He's almost in danger of making it all sound too easy.With any other mortal the Chopin described above would be the highlight. But for Richter we're just getting warmed up. The Debussy Preludes are so astonishing I actually considered not writing a review here because I felt (and feel) there's nothing I (or anyone) can actually say that adds anything. I *will* say I wish Richter had either recorded these works in the studio or under better sonic circumstances. Actually Book II sounds pretty decent, but Book I suffers from those weak, fuzzy sonics. A lot of color, so crucial to Debussy, is lost. You can hear the detail, but you really have to listen really closely, and pump the volume up a little more than usual, turning it back down again before the applause engulfs you. But active listeners will be rewarded for their effort. After hearing Richter you realize how plain Michelangeli sounds--his DG account is better recorded, but every piece tends to sound fairly the same. Richter equals Michelangeli's technical achievement while surpassing him in insight into the works, giving each one a very distinct flavor. He truly captures a spirit, something between reflection and melancholy, that cannot be put into words but has to be listened to. Michelangeli does not get the melancholy, because he is so detatched and clinical he does not insert any emotion into his reading of the Preludes, unfortunately. I wonder how many student piansts, after hearing Richter in these works, decided never to attempt them themselves!Despite the proximity of the microphone to the audience, things are mostly quiet, though a poorly-timed cough here and there can really upset the mood. Still, this collection is worth having. The recordings are just an indication of what the event must have really sounded like, the way Leonardo's Last Supper as it survives is but a suggestion of the original grandeur. But it's the best we're going to get, and it's still pretty damned magnificent."
A Good Debussy Preludes Book II recording
millionrainbows | 08/16/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is worth it only for tracks 11-23 on disc two, the Debussy Preludes Book II. The rest of the 2-CD set is more mono sounding, thin, and hissy. This live recording made in Maltings, Snape on 16 June 1967 has the usual cough here and there, but is very adequate, until the Preludes book II on Turnabout (an LP recorded a month later in Spoleto, July 14 1967), is finally released as a CD, if ever."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1