Search - Schubert, Richter :: Richter 1

Concentrated intensity; febrile purity!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 08/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sviatoslav Richter experienced from the seventies a true style change. Behind in his sholuders remained the temest and febrile intensity of his "tour de force performings" in Sophia, Budapest, Praga, London, New York among others important cities.His performances are permeated of major concentration, wisdom and inner vision. He abandons the great halls and submerges into a true intimate atmosphere. He plays a notable all Scriabin concert on 24th October 1972 at Warsaw but he decides to play mostly a German repertoire. Schumann, Schubert and Beethoven capture his interest out of the Great Hall Concerts and many chamber works. Precisely he adopts Andrei Gavrilov as a musical son. His previous musculature playing transforms in quite sensitiveness and melodic breath, following perhaps his inner bliss, with the maturity you modify all your approach about life issues and artistic tastes. In this sense there is another remarkable example with Leonard Bernstein since he went to Europe in the seventies becoming wiser, being perceptible in every performance.



These historical performances date from 1979 recorded at 7th February at Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall and 24th February 1979 at NHK Hall and 1st February Tokyo Koseinenkin Hall respectively.



The Sonata D. 575 dates from 1817 and can be grouped with the A minor and E flat major sonatas (D, 537 and 568) as the end of the first period of Schubert. With visible Chopinian accent, presents interesting harmonic surprises and abrupt modulations without Coda. The Second movement evokes stylistics ambiguities. You can feel far echoes from Mendelssohn and a brief central episode with some dramatic flavour. The scherzo is full of enlivening contrapuntal detail. The final movement is filled with pastoral character and rustic music.



The Sonata D. 625 is an eruptive work in a visible approach to Beethoven moods. The Adagio is enrapturing with captivating spell and imaginative flight. The turbulent and enraged introduction are so enlivening that fit notably with the humble and tender second lyric theme in a glorious confrontation that foretell his late works. A true Sturm und Ruhe!.



The Musical Moments as you know have been with both sets of impromptus Op. 90 and.142 a magnificent evidence of the blitheness spirits and brief dark episodes that may be considered such a micro cosmos in miniature.



Go for this CD my dear reader. You will change your mind about the dense, overwhelming temperament and dazzling personality of this unforgettable keyboard legend.







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