Richter Rediscovered [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
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

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Richter was generally miserable on his American début tour between October 1960 and January 1961, frankly admitting that he played badly in his first Carnegie Hall recital and refusing to sanction the issue of recordings (some did nevertheless briefly appear on LP). But according to RCA's introductory note, he did approve the stereo recordings of two extra concerts scheduled to cope with the extraordinary demand for tickets. The first of these, again at Carnegie Hall, forms the basis of the... read more

Richter Rediscovered [Original recording remastered]

Tracks:

Applause
Son No.60 in C, H.XVI/50: Allegro
Son No.60 in C, H.XVI/50: Adagio
Son No.60 in C, H.XVI/50: Allegro Molto
Scherzo No.4 in E, Op.54
Ballade No.3 in A flat, Op.47
Prld in f#, Op.23 No.1
Prld in A, Op.32 No.9
Prld in b, Op.32 No.10
Prld in g#, Op.32 No.12
Jeux D'eau
La Vallee Des Cloches (Miroirs, No.5)

Tracks:

Applause
Son No.6 in A, Op.82:
Son No.6 in A, Op.82:
Son No.6 in A, Op.82:
Son No.6 in A, Op.82:
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.3 Allegretto
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.4 Animato
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.5 Molto Giocoso
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.6 Con Eleganza
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.8 Commodo
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.9 Allegretto Tranquillo
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.11 Con Vivicita
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.14 Feroce
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.15 Inquieto
Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.18 Con Una Dolce Lentezza
(Mosque Theatre Encores) Applause
(Mosque Theatre Encores) Cinderella Ste: Gavotte, Op.95 No.2
(Mosque Theatre Encores) Visions Fugitives, Op.22: No.4 Animato
(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

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

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

Customer Reviews:

this set comes with intriguing documentaion.......2005-12-30

I have a hunch that the reviewer below who expresses some doubts about some of the playing could be right.Richter was never that happy playing in the USA and the hard driven Haydn which opens the disc only intermittently captured my attention.However,this set does come with some fascinating documentation including a thoroughly patronizing article (from 1961) by that doyen of American music critics Harold C. Schonberg '..in some respects Richter's playing tends to be provincial.One has noticed this again and again with Russian artists coming to the west for the first time.....now he must adapt his thinking to new influences'

A treasure for Richter's fans and all music lovers!.......2004-06-01

Richter was an outrageous pianist; you may admire or disagree with his musical conceptions; but instead of that statement, you must recognize the presence of the genius in this unforgettable russian artist.

In this recording Richter has peaks and lows; his Haydn's sonate performance lacks of humor and spirit naif; his Chopin sounds cold; even expressive.

But listen Ravel's jeux; with the only exception of Cortot achievement's from 1928 , I've never heard such sound; loiaded with warm imagination and deep nuance.

The Prokoviev's sixth is the best of the record.I've matched with Sandor; Bronffman and an ancient russian pianist Yuri Boukoff (not released in CD yet) and forgive all the items. It's a winner.

In general terms it's an important document that lets you approach to Richter's craft.

Buy this one.

Interesting document, both historically and musically.......2004-01-06

These performances from one of Richter's first Carnegie Hall recitals offer amany interesting insights, although they are not of a uniform level, as we will see. Richter plays the Haydn admirably, but the sonata misses some necessary charm and humour. His Chopin Scherzo strikes me as a bit weird, although the Ballade is majestic and rathe convincing, despite the idiosyncratic tempo changes. In Rachmaninov, Richer is entirely in his element and he delivers spectacular, wonderfully autumnal performances of the Preludes on the programme. The Ravel, the last on the first disc, is splendid: Richter plays with the least probable ponderousness in Jeux-d'eau, going almost to a higher realm. The entire second disc is great. The Prokofiev Sonata no.6 has only been surpassed by Richter himself, in his Praga live recording (which also has more liquid sound) The sonata's final movement, where Richter plays with a stunning sense of rhythm and incredible virtuosity, is one of his finest moments. Richter runs through the ensuing Visions fugitives as if he was made to play this music. Follow a fine Debussy piece, two incredibly speedy Chopin etudes and a Mazurka, all played with much relaxation and authority. The Revolutionary Etude could have been fierier, but still. The only problem with the second disc is hat it is overloaded with applauses. Additionally, I do find he price a bit exorbitant when considering that both discs do not contain as much music as they could. In sum, a fine, recommendable set, with some historical value too (it was part of Richter's first American tour). The liner notes are good, but some of Harold Schonberg's remarks are doubtful (he says, among other things, that Richter lacks the power of Serkin or the technique of Cherkassky, wboth of which statements do not seem true to me). There may be other Richter recordings of this repertoire available that surpass these readings, however, and the price is definitely too high for the amount of music that is given.

Richter live, for better and for worse.......2003-05-25

These live recordings, taken from recitals in New York's Carnegie Hall and New Jersey in 1960, vividly capture Sviatoslav Richter's gargantuan technique and equally outsize musical personality.

Not surprisingly, the Russian music receives close to definitive treatment, with the Prokofiev Sixth Sonata breathtaking in capturing both the hard-edged virtuosity of the outer movements and decadent elegance of the Tempo di valzer lentissimo third movement. The Rachmaninov Preludes are a feast of warm tone and clear textures. The Prokofiev Visions Fugitives, performed as encores at both concerts, slip by like the quicksilver glimpses of fantasy they are.

The rest of the material is more controversial. The Haydn Sonata is notable for the incredible speed of its opening movement; the technique is dazzling but there is little else. The finale, oddly, proves to be on the sedate side. The Adagio, however, is beautifully shaped and balanced. The Chopin Scherzo and Third Ballade remind this listener of Horowitz, not in a good way: the music is driven too hard and loses poise, the end of the Ballade particularly difficult to endure in its overplayed clangor.

Nevertheless, as a whole, these performances are vivid and essential documents of one of the great pianistic personalities of the twentieth century. The sound is clear and perfectly acceptable, though there is little "live" ambience.

Magnificent Prokofiev.......2003-03-21

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.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

All Over The Place/A Different Light/Everything [Box set]

Grand Concerto for Bassoon in F Major

Fission Romance The West

A Paris...

Anchors of Bleed

Fly Away Records Presents: Independents

Follies (Highlights from the 1971 Original Broadway Cast) [Cast Recording]

Claudio e Francesco Monteverdi: Scherzi e Arie

Hellfire Rock Machine [Import]

Ernest Bloch: Macbeth (1919) - Two Interludes / Three Jewish Poems (1913) / In Memoriam (1952) / Symphony In E flat (1954/5) - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Dalia Atlas Sternberg

Five [Import]

Best of Salsa

Damelo

Memphis Blues 1928-1935

Encore