Vallée d'Obermann, for piano (Années I/6), S. 160/6 (LW A159/3): No. 6, Vallée d'Obermann
Au bord d'une source (II & III), for piano (Années I/4), S. 160/4 & S. 160/4bis (LW A159/4)
Sposalizio II, for piano (Années II/1), S. 161/1 (LW A55/1): No. 1, La sposalizio
Aux cyprès de la Villa d'Este I, threnody for piano (Annés III/2), S. 163/2 (LW A283/2): No. 2, Aux cyprês de la Villa d'este
Sonetto del Petrarca No. 123 (I'vidi in terra angelica costumi; II), for piano (Années II/6), S. 161/6 (LW A55/6): No. 6, Sonnetto 12
Venezia e Napoli II (3), for piano (Années, supplement to II), S. 162 (LW A197): No. 1, Gondoliera
Venezia e Napoli II (3), for piano (Années, supplement to II), S. 162 (LW A197): No. 2, Canzone
Venezia e Napoli II (3), for piano (Années, supplement to II), S. 162 (LW A197): No. 3, Tarantelle
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13: Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13: Andante cantabile
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 13: Rondo, Allegro
Track Listings (12) - Disc #2
Piano Sonata No. 3 in D minor, J. 206 (Op. 49): No. 1, Allegro feroce
Piano Sonata No. 3 in D minor, J. 206 (Op. 49): No. 2, Andante con moto
Piano Sonata No. 3 in D minor, J. 206 (Op. 49): No. 3, Rondo. Presto
Pavane pour une infante défunte, for piano (or orchestra)
Gaspard de la nuit, for piano: No. 2: Le Gibet
Jeux d'eau, for piano
Valses (8) nobles et sentimentales, for piano (or orchestra)
Miroirs, for piano (or orchestra): No. 4: Alborado del gracioso
Etudes-Tableaux, for piano, Op. 33
Prelude for piano No.8 in C minor, Op. 23/7
Prelude for piano No.13 in B flat major, Op. 32/2
Pieces (3) for piano (from the ballet Cinderella), Op. 95: No. 2, Gavotte
Much of the repertoire here is new to Richter's ever-growing discography, notably 53 minutes worth of transcendent Liszt Années de Pelerinage excerpts, and a haunting Ravel Le Gibet. A live Beethoven Pathetique son... more »ata proves more individual and arresting than Richter's excellent studio recording, as does this 1954 Weber 3rd Sonata to the better- recorded 1966 Philips version. Richter fans, however, will truly be floored by a whirling Ravel Alborado del gracioso and Rachmaninoff's Études- tableaux in E-flat, played better than humanly possible. Don't pass this set up! --Jed Distler« less
Much of the repertoire here is new to Richter's ever-growing discography, notably 53 minutes worth of transcendent Liszt Années de Pelerinage excerpts, and a haunting Ravel Le Gibet. A live Beethoven Pathetique sonata proves more individual and arresting than Richter's excellent studio recording, as does this 1954 Weber 3rd Sonata to the better- recorded 1966 Philips version. Richter fans, however, will truly be floored by a whirling Ravel Alborado del gracioso and Rachmaninoff's Études- tableaux in E-flat, played better than humanly possible. Don't pass this set up! --Jed Distler
CD Reviews
Staggering piano playing, even by Richter's standards
10/12/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What can I say? Two CDs-worth of previously unissued music from possibly the greatest pianist of the century at the height of his powers in some of his ideal repertoire AND IN EXCELLENT SOUND. Special higlights for me are the Liszt, especially "Vallee d'Obermann" and "Au bord d'un source", and above all "Le Gibet". Whew! I can't imagine a more haunting performance of this centerpiece of Ravel's "Gaspard de la Nuit" cycle. Why on earth didn't Richter record (or indeed play at all) the whole thing? He loved to tease us with the gaps in his repertoire, of course, but maybe even he couldn't see how to match the intensity he achieves in "Le Gibet" in the other two movements. What a loss....As well as hurrying to buy this set, I also recommend that you consider a Richter disk on Praga which includes more Liszt and Ravel, including fascinating comparison performances of "Alborada del Gracioso" and "Valses nobles et sentimentales"
Sviatoslav Richter at his best
Simon | Paris, FRA | 10/08/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
""I detest analysis, which kills fantasy and which is the enemy of art...Enough with musical blah-blah; music speaks for itself."
- Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter was the greatest pianist of the 20th century. This is of course quite an audacious comment to make, considering the very same 100 years saw the likes of Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein, Alfred Cortot, and a host of other towering musicians and virtuosi, but let us consider the grounds on which this statement is built; Sviatoslav Richter was a fusion of formidable technique, innate musical and structural conception, breath-taking sonority and tone; he was a magician, a direct link between instrument and composer, unrestrained and yet forcefully controlled by musical instinct; his repertoire encompassed everything from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier to the mysticism of late Scriabin, from Chopin to Hindemith, Von Weber to Prokofiev...in simpler words, Richter was the complete pianist, an astounding musician in the lineage of Liszt and Rubinstein.
Therfore it comes as little surprise that Richter will be cherished and remembered as one of the greatest Liszt interpreters who ever lived, and the historic recordings of excerpts from "Années du Pèlerinage" and "Venezia e Napoli" represented on this 2-CD set only reinforce his Lisztian stature - they are equal to his legendary performances of better-known masterpieces such as the Sonata in B minor, "Funérailles", and the "Transcendental Etudes", again blending awesome technical accomplishment with power and an aura of intense concentration typical of Richter...it is difficult to think of a better "Sposalizio", and the "Tarantelle" is flashy and colorful, conveyed in all of its Neapolitan splendor.
While the Liszt suffers from a somewhat mediocre sound, Beethoven's "Pathétique" Sonata in C Minor is a fountain of sonorous beauty and represents Richter's playing at its best. The Rondo is of stunning delicacy and élan, and the contrasts in the first movement are perfectly-balanced, combining both the light "cantabile" touch and inner depth which Op.13 calls for.
It is also interesting to note that this compilation of early Richter recordings offers both Liszt and Ravel, displaying the former's influence on the French composer's music. "Pavane pour une infante défunte" is one of those performances that never leaves the listener - just hearing it once carves a deep impression on the memory...the same must be said of "Alborada del gracioso" and "Le Gibet".
Three Rachmaninoff works are offered as well, the first being the E-flat Minor Etude-Tableau, Op.33/5, another the Prelude in C Minor (Op.23/7), and last but definitely not least, the Prelude in B-flat Minor from Op.32. The Etude-Tableau is played with a hint of sarcasm à la Prokofiev, grandly eloquent and sweeping, recalling Rachmaninoff's performance of the Presto from Chopin's Sonata in B-flat Minor. The Prelude in C Minor is always magnificent under Richter's fingers - it is the cold, unforgiving wind blowing across the barren Siberian steppe! The B-flat Minor Prelude, so chaste, so innocent, so melancholy, only leaves us hungry for more. And let us not forget - before we begin drooling and screaming for more Richter - Prokofiev's witty little "Gavotte" from Cinderella which closes this compilation quite nicely, a personal favorite of the pianist....Encore!"
Delighted
gerard.moris | C E L L E S (HOUYET) Belgium | 08/06/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I purchased this set more than a year ago and left it aside thinking I had bought it by mistake having the material on other cd...Only to discover it a few days ago:I regret I had not listened to it before!!Every item is superb,especially the 'jeux d'eau'(much slower than the Newark version),and the 'au bord d'une source'The Weber sonata sounds even better than other version(thought the Praga version is superb too).The bass D yields a spectacular effect.The Rachmaninov preludes offer the 'live' sound and a very musical Richter"
Radiant Pianism!
Scriabinmahler | UK | 01/12/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"All 5 volumes of the Richter in the 1950s recordings are MUST-HAVE for any serious collecters of extraordinary pianism, not only because these live recordings were made when Richter was at his peak and includes many performances Richter himself could not surpass later (Prokofiev's 7th for example), but also because most of recordings in each volume are surprisingly good for the date, good enough to display Richter's unbelievablly rich tonal variation and super-human dexterity.
The highlight of the volume 3 is over 50 minutes of Liszt's Anees de Pelerinage and Ravel's solo piano works, all played with radiant tone and transcendental beauty. The way Richter makes the piano breathe with human warmth is just magical - the art practically dead today.
"
The best place to start with the five-volume series
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/19/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I hope the reader will take as a given that I am as devoted to Richter's art as the other five-star reviewers. It's worth saying that for anyone who wants to dip into Parnassus's five-volume "Richter in the 1950s" series, this volume is the best place to start. It shows the widest range of Richter's huge repertoire, highlighting his uncanny ability to change personality as he moves from Liszt to Beethoven to Ravel, among others. Unlike Horowitz, say, who sounds like Horowitz no matter what music he plays, Richter has a chameleon quality that's unique.
With all that a given, I wouldn't say all the items here are played with uniform brilliance. The Annees de Peleinage excerpts are very tempting, but they are in dull sound with a hint of wow in the piano's tone; the audience is cough prone, and frankly, Richter sounds uninvolved in Vallee d"Obermann, the longest and most important piece -- too bad, since he never returned to it on disc. The Beethoven 'Pathetique' is solid but not brilliant: Richter can be much more original an daring in Beethoven. Still, it has many of his virtues otherwise.
Characteristically, Richter ignored the conventions of style in Ravel, Debussy, and Chopin, not always to the delight or even approval of critics. His Pavane for a Dead Princess is quite straightforward, with no attempt at Ravelian atmosphere and delicacy. Similarly, Le Gibet doesn't try to dazzle or hypnotize; it's rather sober. Richter's chief virtue here is how natural and yet dramatic he makes Ravel's idiom sound (very un-French). Jeux d'Eau and Alborada del Gracioso allow us the unalloyed pleasure of hearing a technique that knew no limits -- as a previous reviewer notes, Richter is jaw-dropping in the Alborada; no explanation is needed once you hear it. Since it's well known that Richter had no rival in Rachmaninov beyond the composer himself (and Horowitz if you gravitate to his brittle, glittering manner and fierce attack), I won't comment accept to say that Richter lives up to expectations here.
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1