(Mosque Theatre Encores) Prlds, Book I. No.5: Les Collines D'Anacapri
(Mosque Theatre Encores) Etude in A flat, Op.10 No.10
(Mosque Theatre Encores) Etude in c, Op.10 No.12
(Mosque Theatre Encores) Mazurka in C, Op.24 No.2
RCA Victor's Richter Rediscovered lets us hear Sviatoslav Richter perform with intensity and purpose he rarely matched and still more rarely surpassed. This two-CD set comprises Richter's entire Dec. 26, 1960, Carnegie Hal... more »l recital and several encores from the same program two days later in Newark's Mosque Theater. Most transcripts of Richter's live performances miss details in his playing--the prismatic shimmer of his tone in all registers, for example, or the way he could instantaneously jump from triple pianissimo to triple fortissimo. But RCA's superb recorded sound does justice to the pianist's variety of nuance and range of dynamics. Younger listeners will now hear Richter "live" the way we older ones remember him: performing Haydn's Sonata No. 50 in C with lapidarian perfection as well as with freedom of rhythm and expression; diversifying, without diluting, the savagery of Prokofiev's Sonata No. 6 by employing softer colors than those usually heard; playing Rachmaninov's Prelude in A with gigantic chords made more all the more impressive by the subtle emergence of the delicate melody from within them; and endowing Chopin's Étude in A flat (Op. 10, No. 10) with breathtaking poetry through ingenious variations of touch and rhythm. --Stephen Wigler« less
RCA Victor's Richter Rediscovered lets us hear Sviatoslav Richter perform with intensity and purpose he rarely matched and still more rarely surpassed. This two-CD set comprises Richter's entire Dec. 26, 1960, Carnegie Hall recital and several encores from the same program two days later in Newark's Mosque Theater. Most transcripts of Richter's live performances miss details in his playing--the prismatic shimmer of his tone in all registers, for example, or the way he could instantaneously jump from triple pianissimo to triple fortissimo. But RCA's superb recorded sound does justice to the pianist's variety of nuance and range of dynamics. Younger listeners will now hear Richter "live" the way we older ones remember him: performing Haydn's Sonata No. 50 in C with lapidarian perfection as well as with freedom of rhythm and expression; diversifying, without diluting, the savagery of Prokofiev's Sonata No. 6 by employing softer colors than those usually heard; playing Rachmaninov's Prelude in A with gigantic chords made more all the more impressive by the subtle emergence of the delicate melody from within them; and endowing Chopin's Étude in A flat (Op. 10, No. 10) with breathtaking poetry through ingenious variations of touch and rhythm. --Stephen Wigler
A Moving, Vivid Sense of Hearing Richter in Concert
09/26/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A fascinating release indeed-- Sviatoslav Richter, the great Russian pianist, playing during his American debut in 1960. This two-CD set documents the Carnegie Hall recital of December 26, 1960, complete with the many encores offered from that occasion and those from his program of December 28, in Newark's Mosque Theater. The release features superbly clear and dynamic "24/96" sound. The few selections that were previously found on a long out-of-print RCA LP are now heard in superior sound. The rest of the selections will be new even to many "seasoned" Richter collectors. One must bear in mind before buying that Richter himself was never satisfied with his playing during this 1960 American tour, and certainly a sampling from his vast discography will turn up more focused performances of many of these works, albeit in lesser sound. Yet, one still finds great value in this playing which balances poise with daring intensity, poetry with shattering power, and an elegance of true rarity. Haydn and Chopin selections from the first disc feature highly idiosyncratic interpretations. Particularly noteworthy is the intimacy of the Adagio from the Haydn, or the forward direction of the Chopin Scherzo. The Rachmaninov Preludes are regal, and are colored with somber, uncanny sense of timing. The Ravel pieces are brief examples of Richter's original approach which is not shy of dynamics, fluidity, and shadings. Disc two features an energetic Prokofiev Sixth Sonata, and the encores. A listener to this disc can share in the palpable excitement of the audience (note how between some selections, members of the audience silence others with "shh!" or at one point how a lady calls out "Thank You!" in Russian before Richter launches into a Prokofiev encore). The encores are miracles of versatility and characterization, as in the Debussy "Les Collines d'Anacapri." The final three Chopin encores show Richter at his poetic and communicative best. The overall excitement and sense of occasion is well-captured on this beautifully packaged release. The sound is immediate and intimate, though has surprisingly little of Carnegie Hall's warm acoustic ambience. Hopefully RCA will continue this highly-recommended tribute to a great artist with a follow-up release of more "Rediscovered" material."
Another breakthrough release!
G. Dillard | New York City | 09/27/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The only question is; why did it take so long!!! The
sound quality, the piano and urgency of performance
make this recording a "must-have" for Richter and
Classical fans! Here we have a Richter who is just
becoming used to America after a series of amazing
recitals. While being "red-hot" in Prokofiev, he
lays on the "humor" and delicacy of Hadyn while
giving us the "drama" and passion of Rachmaninov and
Chopin. This is Richter at some of his most inspired
if not best playing! The variety of compositions on
these two discs also give a well rounded view of Richter's
versatility! What a musician!"
Overwhelming
G. Dillard | 12/02/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album should be titled "Richter Discovered." I have many of his recordings--all the Phillips collections and various live recitals among them--but nothing approaches this. "Powerful" is such a worn-out word for describing performances (performances much less powerful than this), but it will have to do for starters. And everything, everything is wonderful beyond belief--from the first notes of the Haydn you know you're in for something special. I've never heard those Chopin pieces played with such ability to evoke emotion in the listener. The Rachmaninov superb; the Prokofiev out of this world. Well, this babbling on is ridiculous. Words can't do this recording justice. You simply must experience it."
Like Richter needs rediscovering! Still, a MUST have
T. Macfarlane | Irvine, CA USA | 06/01/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a Richter fan since I was a boy. I listened to his recording of the Brahms Second Concerto so many times that I wore out two LPs. Still, this CD tops them all (well, maybe I should include the Well Tempered Clavier recording with this one). I walked into Tower Records' classical department one day ... and heard this HAIR-RAISING performance of the last movement of the Prokofiev Sonata #6 just get under away. I was agog at the pianist's technique, and the breathtaking tempo; but what really slayed me was the poetry amidst all the ferocity, the incredible poise and balance amid the seeming violence in the music. And the things the pianist did with the rhythm, seeming to bend the barlines, yet keeping totally locked in with the INNER rhythm of the piece. And the performance was FLAWLESS. And I studied piano at Juilliard for four years, undergrad; believe me, I know what flawless is. And then the coup de grace: applause at the end! My jaw literally dropped. I ran (really ran) to the cash register to see what amazing pianist had pulled this miracle off ... live. And of course, I was not surprised. It was SR himself. This CD. I bought one for myself and six more over the next month or so for friends and colleagues who I knew would be as both floored and enraptured as I was by this recording. Hell, give this CD to people who don't even like classical music. Dare them to listen to Richter play the fourth movement of Prokofiev's op. 82. See if they can stand up after hearing it.I used to think his performance of Prokofiev's Sonata #8 was the all-time winner. Now I'm not so sure. Treat yourself. This is a better performance, I'm sure, that even Prokofiev himself, a great virtuoso, would have been capable of."
Magnificent Prokofiev
carol France | 03/21/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Richter played an unrivaled Prokofiev at this concert, especially the sonata No. 6 in A, Op.82. I have rarely heard him play with so much intensity, love, spontaneity, passion. The splendid remastered sound adds more grandeur to his powerful and moving performance.
Besides the impressive Prokofiev, I also appreciate his Rachmaninov preludes, surpassing the other Russian pianists I know, Pletnev, Gavrilov, Ashkenazy, etc.
Richter's Chopin usually leaves me cold. Like Sofronitsky, an incomparable Scriabin performer, Richter played Chopin with too much virility, too much strength, lacking something subtle, refined, deep, romantic, touching.
Listening to Richter's Chopin, I yearn for Grigory Sokolov, the romantic pianist who can express all the emotions and passions of Chopin."