Sviatoslav Richter

[Pat B]

No strict rules regarding studio vs. live or early vs. late.

My notes say his op. 10/3 at Carnegie Hall (in the Sony box) was not very good. I have a couple of others but don't remember details.

The Pathétique Holden mentioned will be a unanimous selection. It is Richter's only recording of that piece. <- wrong!

There are four Appassionatas all within about a year of each other. Both the live Melodiya and the studio recording on RCA are astounding. I have not done a head-to-head comparison but I think I'd go with the studio recording for its better sound. I don't remember much about the Carnegie Hall one, which might seem like soft criticism but in this case I think it means it's approximately as astounding as the other two. I have not heard the Praga.

My notes say two of his op. 54s — studio on RCA, and 1992 at Schliersee on Live Classics — are my favorites.

For the last three, the 1963 Leipzig set is very popular, but when I listened to it I didn't quite understand the hoopla. I may have listened with the wrong mindset, so I should revisit it. There is a CD on Live Classics with 1991 Kiel performances of op. 109 and op. 110 that is outstanding (hat tip to Dancing Divertimentian). I also really liked the 1975 op. 111 on Brilliant. The 1991 one on Philips is unrepresentative.

I can't recall preferences among the others.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

No strict rules regarding studio vs. live or early vs. late.

My notes say ...

Thanks much for that!

The 1991 one on Philips is unrepresentative.

...as in: not typical of Richter or plain bad? I think that's the one I have on the Richter discs that were re-issued on Decca.

[George]

What if...

we could put together an ideal cycle of Richter's 23 Beethoven Sonatas (+ Andante favori & Diabellis, perhaps).

Which recordings would you include? (That's particularly looking at you, Todd.)

Specifically a particular performance? Generally rather late or early? Studio when possible or live at all cost?

You didn't ask a similar question about Richter's Schubert sonatas (which I think is even better than his Beethoven), but if you had, these are the performances I would nominate:

D 960 Prague - 1972 - Praga
D 958 Salzburg - 1972 - Regis
D 894 London - 1989 - Philips/Decca
D 850 Prague - 1956 - Praga (better sound than Music and Arts)
D 845 Moscow - 1957 - Living Stage (better sound than Urania)
D 840 Salzburg - 1979 - Philips/Decca
D 784 Tokyo - 1979 - Regis
D 664 Paris - 1963 - EMI
D 625 Munich - 1978 - Victor/Japan
D 575 Florence - 1966 - Philips/Decca
D 566 Moscow - 1978 - Brilliant Classics
D 459 Hohenems - 1980 - Doremi

[Holden]

There are actually two recordings of the Pathetique, I know because I have them both. I chose the slightly newer one because the sound in the earlier one (April 1958) is not that good though the performances are similar. The live Prague recording is excellent but the Melodiya studio is better IMO, more 'passionate?', with an astoundingly fast yet clear final movement. Strangely enough, this is not my favourite recording. That honour goes to Richter's contemporary, Emil Gilels, in his live Moscow recital in 1960.

[Pat B]

...as in: not typical of Richter or plain bad? I think that's the one I have on the Richter discs that were re-issued on Decca.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "plain bad." It does have some good Richterian dynamics, but some parts lurch, some sound mechanical, and some are just a mess. Those flaws are not typical of Richter. There are much better versions by Richter and others. If this, instead of the Melodiya CD, had been my first exposure to Richter then I may not have become much of a fan.

Decca's "Richter: The Master" series is a reissue (or a subset?) of the Philips "Authorized Recordings". These were reportedly not authorized, and even though Richter's self-criticism could verge on comical, the non-authorization makes sense on this particular performance.

I just listened to op. 109 and 111 from the 1963 Leipzig disc (I have the Parnassus release) and I think my problem with it is the dry, muffled sound. It bothered me more in 109 (which is also plagued by audience noises in bright, clear sound) than in 111. I think I'm ready to count the latter as living up to its billing as a great version — but not better than his 1975 on Brilliant.

[Pat B]

There are actually two recordings of the Pathetique, I know because I have them both.

I stand corrected! It's even on trovar (but it says Moscow, not Prague).

[Pat B]

That honour goes to Richter's contemporary, Emil Gilels, in his live Moscow recital in 1960.

Might you mean the one from 1968?

[Mandryka]

One of his  Beethoven performances which I think is especially nice is here

[SurprisedByBeauty]

One of his  Beethoven performances which I think is especially nice is here

Which one? Or both?

[Mandryka]

Which one? Or both?

I think both. It's a while since I heard op 14/1 but I just played the op 14/2 on that CD and I think it's really special. Light and lyrical.

[Jo498]

I remember the Leipzig op.109-111 as very impressive, except for the sound (which I found acceptable). I don't much like the later op.110s I have heard (one in the brilliant box, one on "The philosopher", a strange selection of late recordings). Richter plays the second movement of op.110 uncommonly slow for some reason which does not work for me at all and this is worse in the later recordings.

[Mandryka]

Released this time last year but I've only just discovered it, this online blog entry says

Two live recordings from the Maggio Music Festival in Florence. No. 24 is from Nov. 20, 1971 and No. 27 from Dec. 4, 1976. Both have been circulated as private source but I do not know how good or bad the existing private copy is, as I have not heard them. This new release should be from original master tape

I have a recording of K 491 from November 1971, and it has over the years become one of these recordings which "has repaid repeated listening" as they say, not just for the piano, Muti too is full of ideas.  I've just ordered this new release, I'll be watching for the postman at the window every morning.

[staxomega]

Hanssler released several Richter boxes a couple of years ago. Does anyone know if these are original recordings released only by them or have they been put out by Praga, Melodiya, Orfeo, and various other labels?

https://haensslerprofil.de/shop/klassik/soloinstr-mit-orchester/richter-plays-brahms-schumann/
https://haensslerprofil.de/shop/soloinstr-mit-orchester-2/richter-plays-liszt-and-chopin/
https://haensslerprofil.de/shop/klassik/soloinstr-ohne-orchester/klaviersonaten-variationen-klavierkonzerte/
https://haensslerprofil.de/shop/klassik/soloinstr-ohne-orchester/klaviersonaten-3/

I have been meaning to match up the recording dates (Presto has the recording dates for each composition) with what I have but haven't got around to it yet.

[Pat B]

Hanssler released several Richter boxes a couple of years ago. Does anyone know if these are original recordings released only by them or have they been put out by Praga, Melodiya, Orfeo, and various other labels?

https://haensslerprofil.de/shop/klassik/soloinstr-mit-orchester/richter-plays-brahms-schumann/
https://haensslerprofil.de/shop/soloinstr-mit-orchester-2/richter-plays-liszt-and-chopin/
https://haensslerprofil.de/shop/klassik/soloinstr-ohne-orchester/klaviersonaten-variationen-klavierkonzerte/
https://haensslerprofil.de/shop/klassik/soloinstr-ohne-orchester/klaviersonaten-3/

I have been meaning to match up the recording dates (Presto has the recording dates for each composition) with what I have but haven't got around to it yet.

From looking over the Beethoven set (the first one I found on Presto), some of the recordings have been released on Philips and Melodiya, but there's also some stuff that was otherwise only on less-familiar labels or not at all — some from very early in his career. I'm only part way through that set.

ETA: Profil is a reputable label, but I can't help but wonder about some of these dates.

[staxomega]

From looking over the Beethoven set (the first one I found on Presto), some of the recordings have been released on Philips and Melodiya, but there's also some stuff that was otherwise only on less-familiar labels or not at all — some from very early in his career. I'm only part way through that set.

ETA: Profil is a reputable label, but I can't help but wonder about some of these dates.

Thank you. I can sample all four boxes, I'll see about writing some more when I've been able to compare dates, unfortunately the best Richter discography I know of had its hosting or domain expire.

[Pat B]

Thank you. I can sample all four boxes, I'll see about writing some more when I've been able to compare dates, unfortunately the best Richter discography I know of had its hosting or domain expire.

archive.org has it.

There is also a newer discography here (a link on that page goes to the google doc).

[Mandryka]

Couldn't stop myself thinking that Richter transforms the adagio of Mozart K.280 into some sort of Schubert/Feldman flânerie. He seems to have played this sonata a lot.

[ChopinBroccoli]

Sometimes Richter is faster than I want, sometimes slower, sometimes too loud, other times too quiet but he's never perfunctory; never ordinary... It's always intriguing to listen to, I'm definitely a fan

His Liszt concertos from the early 60s with Kondrashin are absolutely definitive to me (I know many prefer Zimmerman), his Prokofiev 5 is special

The DG box "Pianist of The Century" is quite good... some amazing interpretations of a wide variety of repertoire... the only really poor selection in there is his Tchaikovsky no. 1 where he and Karajan appear to be doing completely separate interpretations of the same work ... outside of that, it's a good buy if you're a Richter fan

[George]

Now enjoying Schubert's D894. This is my favorite performance of this work and my favorite Schubert sonata. I found out a year or so ago that it was the pianists favorite Schubert sonata as well. The sound here is quite nice and the performance is gorgeously intimate at times, at others incredibly powerful. This performance can also be found in a later issue from Richter's The Master series on Decca.

[vers la flamme]

Now enjoying Schubert's D894. This is my favorite performance of this work and my favorite Schubert sonata. I found out a year or so ago that it was the pianists favorite Schubert sonata as well. The sound here is quite nice and the performance is gorgeously intimate at times, at others incredibly powerful. This performance can also be found in a later issue from Richter's The Master series on Decca.

That's my favorite Schubert sonata too, but I think Richter's recordings are just too slow for me. I prefer András Schiff on ECM, played on an early 19th century Viennese fortepiano (and this is coming from a guy who normally hates fortepianos).

In all fairness to the subject of the thread, I am a burgeoning Richter fanatic. I'm awaiting the DG box set "Pianist of the Century" with his complete (?) works for that label. I have not yet delved deeply into Richter's live or unauthorized recordings, but I do have this digital "box" set of some of his early recordings (1950s mostly, I believe):



There's a great D960 here. Along with tons of other gems.