Sviatoslav Richter

[Zhiliang]

I have heard it once or twice, I don't recall it being especially good or bad (by Richter's standards, that is.) That box it comes in, recently OOP I believe, is essential IMO for some wonderful Schubert playing:

http://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-Richter-Concert-Historic-Archives/dp/B0002YCW1Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1219161169&sr=8-2

Yeah i have read reviews for the Schubert. Sounds interesting. Its on my wishlist now.

[Zhiliang]

Glad to help, Zhiliang.

As far as the differences between the studio Philips and the live BBC Legends, sorry, but I couldn't say. I haven't heard the BBC Legends recording.

However, if you ever chance upon the live second with Ferencsik on Music & Arts (from Budapest) I would say, grab it (this one I have). It makes for a very interesting contrast to the London (Philips) performance. My synopsis: in Budapest the quality of performance is the same but with a different emphasis. Mainly in matters of dynamics. There's a 'flatter' response from Richter, more linear than deep. Part of this could be due to the comparatively thin mono sound (not as open as the stereo Philips) but part of this is undoubtedly due to the more streamlined approach of Ferencsik (Kondrashin is more 'layered'). That's not to say the performance is tepid. It's not. Just a different approach.

I believe they are the same, yes.

Yes, i am looking for a different approach to them. I will look into them. And also have been reading your input on the Richter's other recordings. Thanks for everything.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

There's also the one on the Brilliant label:

http://www.trovar.com/str/discs/liszt.html

Ah, forgot about that one.

[George]

Yeah i have read reviews for the Schubert. Sounds interesting. Its on my wishlist now.

Keep in mind that it recently went OOP, so you may not want to wait very long. 

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Any opinions on Richter's readings of Schubert's Relique (D840). Richter is my favourite Schubertian by an unnecessary amount, and this is the only sonata he's recorded that I've not got a recording of him playing in.

Trovar lists a 1961 Paris performance as well as the 1979 Decca one: any preferences?

Edward, apologies but I only just noticed this.

I haven't heard the Paris D.840, so I'm afraid I can't be of any help there. It's exceedingly rare anyway but if you go a-searching for it and find it let us know what you think.

As far as the D.840 on Decca it's certainly a worthy investment. It's in very fine sound and is vintage Richter Schubert.

There's also a new D.840 in that Brilliant box but I haven't any experience with it.   

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Just a heads-up to anyone looking for a bargain on the BBC Legends label.

BRO has that four-CD box set for dirt cheap (second from the top). I have some of these (Liszt, Prokofiev, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff) individually and sound quality is good.

By the way, BRO also has that BBC Legends Michelangeli three-CD box set available.

[hjonkers]

Keep in mind that it recently went OOP, so you may not want to wait very long. 

Is it not just unavailable on Amazon? JPC.de still carries it; so does the Dutch Kruidvat site (the drugstore that owns Brilliant Classics).


[/quote]

There's also a new D.840 in that Brilliant box but I haven't any experience with it.  

No, it only contains D.566, 575, 894 and 960. They're well played (but in the case of the D960 at least, not as well as on Praga) but in variable sound, a little too fuzzy overall. D894 also contains some tape flutter in the slow movement.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Is it not just unavailable on Amazon? JPC.de still carries it; so does the Dutch Kruidvat site (the drugstore that owns Brilliant Classics).

Well, I'm just guessing but there might have been supply problems because for awhile that Brilliant box seemed to vanish from most (all?) US sites. Which gave the impression it had gone OOP. But now it appears to be available again from some US sources, ArkivMusic being one of them. 

No, it only contains D.566, 575, 894 and 960. They're well played (but in the case of the D960 at least, not as well as on Praga) but in variable sound, a little too fuzzy overall. D894 also contains some tape flutter in the slow movement.

Oops, thanks for the correction.

[ezodisy]

There's an old and interesting 6 part documentary of Richter on Youtube, no subtitles, lots of footage of him playing

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=q79YWqc80R0&feature=related

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I haven't heard the Paris D.840, so I'm afraid I can't be of any help there. It's exceedingly rare anyway but if you go a-searching for it and find it let us know what you think.

Well, after some searching I managed to get hold of the Schubert D.840 from Paris, 1961. It's on the Monitor label.

I'm having trouble determining if Monitor is a pirate label or a licensee label. There's no info as to the origins of this recording, which I would expect if this had been licensed from another label. Melodiya apparently owns the rights to this recording as it once appeared on a Melodiya LP. So Melodiya could have licensed this recording to Monitor - a western-based label (from New York, now defunct) - which wasn't anything unusual for Melodiya back in the day. 

But the absence of copyright info has me wondering.

Anyway, one thing's for certain: this is a studio recording. The sound is pure and tight with that 'studio ambiance' surrounding the piano tone, plus there's not a hint of audience noise (and no applause).

Sadly, the sound is also inflicted with that "second-generation effect" in that vital overtones are missing which has the effect of flattening out the sonic perspective. Everything just sounds sort of wooden. I wouldn't be surprised if this has been released in better sound previously. Perhaps on that Melodiya LP.

I wouldn't call the recorded sound a failure since it does have a certain amount of body and fullness to it and blessedly there's zero distortion. So at least we can hear everything clearly and cleanly even if it is one or two (or more) generations from the original.

Which is good because what we have here is a very fine Schubert D.840. Studio or not Richter is in top form, finding all kinds of color and sparkle in Schubert's ruminative sound world. And truthfully the sonic limitations don't do a whole lot to dampen the interpretive flair on display from Richter. But it would be nice if some company (Melodiya?) would release this performance in spiced up sound.

All in all, it's definitely a keeper of a recording as the artistic vision trumps any technical shortcomings.

[Peregrine]

I saw these Richter/Supraphon titles in HMV yesterday. Not aware of them, are they new additions to the Richter catalogue? Anyone heard them?

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I saw these Richter/Supraphon titles in HMV yesterday. Not aware of them, are they new additions to the Richter catalogue? Anyone heard them?

Nothing here is really new but much of the music on these discs has been in cold storage for so long it's almost as if these recordings were new.

The Shostakovich has been OOP for at least a decade, probably more.

Some of the Schumann - excluding the Fantasie - actually has been in circulation lately on DG but only in truncated form. DG cherry-picked and included only enough of the music to fill up Richter's disc with the Piano Concerto. Which means some of the music has sat in limbo for ages. (This originally was a joint DG/Supraphon venture).

The Chopin originally appeared on Praga but spread out over two discs. One of those discs is long OOP. The other is OOP in the States but may be available elsewhere.

As far as the performances, all are prime Richter. Mostly studio, though the Schumann Fantasie and the Chopin are live. 

The sound is excellent throughout, the only exception being the Fantasie which is grainy and clangorous. But still acceptable.

[Peregrine]

Thanks, Donwyn, that's really helpful. I'll have to check what I do/don't have and then possibly purchase.

Cheers!

[Dancing Divertimentian]

An interesting disc scheduled for release in a few weeks:

[ezodisy]

What's this about?

http://www.hmv.co.jp/product/detail/2806194

[bassio]

I have a question:
How many WTKs did Richter record?

[Peregrine]

I think there are two available recordings - the official one on RCA and another live recording from around the same time. I'm sure more dedicated Richterphiles will know the score!

[dirkronk]

Basically there are two complete WTKs (Salzburg/Vienna '70-'73, I have it on MHS and Angel LP but it was released on many different LP and CD labels--and Innsbruck '73, which I have on Japanese Victor CDs, and not sure how many other LP/CD labels it might be on), an individual book 1 from Moscow '69 (I have it on Revelation CD), and some odds and ends on DGG ('62 or so) and elsewhere.

I think that's all, but I'll check the online discography.

Cheers,

Dirk

[dirkronk]

OK, here's the listing from the Trovar site:

Well-Tempered Clavier, books I & II
(Salzburg and Vienna, 1970 - 1973)
Le Chant du Monde LDX 78 525/30 (LP)
Melodiya/Eurodisc 610 276 (LP) [ Ariola 610 276-234 ]
Melodiya/Eurodisc [Germany] 610 276-234 (CD)
Melodiya / JVC VICC 40014-17 (CD) or VICC 40206-9
Victor [ Japan ] VICC 40210 - 40213 (CD)
RCA GD 60949 (CD)
RCA [Japan] BVCC 37139/42 (CD)
Olympia [Russia] 501077 A+B (CD) & 501078 A+B (CD)
(Innsbrück, 26 - 28 July; 7, 10 August 1973) on Poloarts [China] CL4B-86080 (CD)

Well-Tempered Clavier, book I
(Moscow, 20 and 21 April 1969) on Revelation RV 20003 (CD)
(Salzburg, 21 -31 July 1970)
Eurodisc-Melodiya 80651 XGK (LP) or XG 80.651 (LP) [ "Kassette mit 2 1/2 LP" ]
Le Chant du Monde LDX 78525/7 (LP) or LDC 278 525/6 (CD)
EMI 95549/51 (LP)
Eterna 826602/4 (LP) or 826781/3 (LP)
Quintessence 3705 (LP)
Ricordi AOCL 516001
Melodiya SM 02987/92 (3 LPs)
Melodiya/Angel S-4119 (LP)
Musical Heritage MHS 834 554 (LP)
JVC VIC 4072-76 (LP) or VIC 3059-61 (LP) or 3025/26/27 (LP) or VIC 3121/2/3 (LP)
Shinsekai SMK 7670/2 (LP 1972) or SMK 7740/1/2 (LP 1972)
Melodiya/JVC VDC 5001/4 (CD)
Victor [ Japan ] VICC-40014/7 (CD)
Olympia OCD 536 (CD)
Polydor [China] 506-0540 (CD)
RCA [USA] 82876-623152 (CD)

(Innsbruck, 7, 10 August 1973) on Victor [ Japan ] VICC 60071/2 (CD)

Well-Tempered Clavier, book II
(Salzburg and Vienna, 1972 - 1973)
Ariola/Eurodisc 85629 (LP)
Eterna 827979 (3 LPs)
Olympia OCD 537 (CD)
Le Chant du Monde LDX 78528/30 (LP) or LDC 278 528/9 (CD)
Melodiya SM 04213/8 (3 LPs)
Melodiya/Angel S-4120 (LP)
Musical Heritage Society MHS 834 554 (LP)
Quintessence 3706 (LP)
JVC VIC 4072-76 (LP) or VIC 3062-64 (LP) or 3028/29/30 (LP) or VIC 3124/5/6 (LP)
Shinsekai SMK 7810/2 (LP 1972)
Melodiya/JVC VDC 5001/4 (CD)
Victor [ Japan ] VICC-40014/7 (CD)
Polydor [China] 506-0540 (CD)
(Innsbruck, 26 - 28 July 1973) on Victor [ Japan ] VICC 60073/4 (CD)

Well-Tempered Clavier, Preludes & Fugues, Book I, nos. 1 - 4, 6, 10, 11, 19, 22; Book II, nos. 2, 4, 6, 12, 15, 18, 24
(Salzburg and Vienna, 1970 - 1973)
RCA [ France ] 53651 (CD)

Well-Tempered Clavier, Preludes & Fugues, BWV 846, 849 - 851, 853
(Florence, 23 Oct 1962)
DG 18950 (LP) or 138950 (LP 1965) or 2548286 (LP) or 447355 (CD) or 457667 (CD)
DG [ Japan ] SLGM 1312 (LP 1965) or MG 2193 (LP 1970) or MGW 5150 (LP 1979)
Heliodor 2548286 (LP)
DG [Japan] POCG 3902/3 (CD)

[Renfield]

How about this one? Which of the two complete versions does it correspond to?





(It seems to be a recent release.)