Search - Sviatoslav Richter :: Plays Bach Piano Concerto 1 in D Minor

These aren't Sviatoslav Richter's best recordings of either work, but the performances are still marvelous. The chiseled clarity of the Bach, and its freedom from sentimentality and mannerisms, makes it hold up extremely well, even if a currently unavailable version with Václav Talich and the Czech Philharmonic is even livelier. The Schumann is handicapped by antiquated sound and the mediocre orchestra; both elements are improved in Richter's Warsaw stereo version (currently on Deutsche Grammophon). To complicate matters further, this same recording of the Bach sounds better in the BMG/Melodiya Richter Edition (29461, or in set 29460), but the Schumann recording isn't otherwise available at all. --Leslie Gerber