Sviatoslav Richter

[Dancing Divertimentian]

From what I have read the noise problems on the Doremi set were caused by nearby subway trains and not a turntable rumble. It appears only on some of the recordings. The question I've got to ask is; with all the live recordings made at Carnegie Hall, how come this hasn't been noticed in other recordings?

It might have something to do with the nature of these particular recordings. The thing is, they were never professionally produced - that is to say, although Columbia ISSUED these recordings they didn't actually RECORD them. MK took charge of that per the deal they made with Columbia and merely left the production part of the recordings to the less than world-class facilities of Carnegie's in-house setup. In those days the in-house facility's main function was simply to provide performers with rough recordings of their concerts as a way to document the event. Little more.

It isn't know just why MK took this route but speculation must center on the fact that Richter hated the presence of microphones sprawled about on stage and most likely would have vehemently objected to any attempts to record him (and with him already on edge.........). MK probably knew this and simply found a way to circumvent any objections by using the more basic (hidden?) in-house set up.

So this might explain the presence of train noise in the recordings. Non-professional recordings with a pickup perhaps too near a wall or something might account for this.

[George]

Tonight I compared 5 Richter performances of Schubert's D 575 -

Moscow 1965, Brilliant
Florence 1966, Philips/Decca
Aldeburgh 1966, Living Stage
Tokyo, 1979, Regis 
London, 1979, BBC

The winner is the Florence 1966 Philips performance (also found on the recently remastered Master series but in slightly better sound in the earlier OOP edition):



All five versions were similarly paced (and performed for that matter), but this one had by far the best sound and was the most lively. That makes a perfect three for three on the Richter Master Schubert series (along with the above OOP Philips Set), as all three sonatas contained are the best versions of those works by the pianist IMO. This is the Schubert Decca set from the Master series:

[George]

Finally, I compared the three available performances of Schubert's D 566 sonata tonight:

1964 Aldeburgh - Living Stage
1978 Moscow - Brilliant
1978 Munich - Victor/Japan

The timings here were almost identical, but the sound varied greatly. In this respect the Brilliant Classics version was clearly superior.



Richter's full tone was captured wonderfully, revealing the pianists dark, mysterious reading. Only the end of the second movement, when the sound bounced back and forth from left to right channel was there any problems with the sound. The finale radiated light and serenity.   

So this ends my survey of the available Schubert sonata recordings by Richter. I have summarized my results below (work, place, year and label.) For D 845 there is only one performance available.

D 960 Prague - 1972 - Praga
D 958 Salzburg - 1972 - Regis
D 894 London - 1989 - Philips/Decca (Philips has slightly better sound)
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 (Philips has slightly better sound)
D 784 Tokyo - 1979 - Regis
D 664 Paris - 1963 - EMI
D 625 Munich - 1978 - Victor/Japan
D 575 Florence - 1966 - Philips/Decca (Philips has slightly better sound)
D 566 Moscow - 1978 - Brilliant Classics

[Mandryka]

Finally, I compared the three available performances of Schubert's D 566 sonata tonight:

1964 Aldeburgh - Living Stage
1978 Moscow - Brilliant
1978 Munich - Victor/Japan

The timings here were almost identical, but the sound varied greatly. In this respect the Brilliant Classics version was clearly superior.



Richter's full tone was captured wonderfully, revealing the pianists dark, mysterious reading. Only the end of the second movement, when the sound bounced back and forth from left to right channel was there any problems with the sound. The finale radiated light and serenity.   

So this ends my survey of the available Schubert sonata recordings by Richter. I have summarized my results below (work, place, year and label.) For D 845 there is only one performance available.

D 960 Prague - 1972 - Praga
D 958 Salzburg - 1972 - Regis
D 894 London - 1989 - Philips/Decca (Philips has slightly better sound)
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 (Philips has slightly better sound)
D 784 Tokyo - 1979 - Regis
D 664 Paris - 1963 - EMI
D 625 Munich - 1978 - Victor/Japan
D 575 Florence - 1966 - Philips/Decca (Philips has slightly better sound)
D 566 Moscow - 1978 - Brilliant Classics

That's very useful -- thanks George.

[George]

Richter on Scriabin - a 1965 interview

http://sviatoslavrichter.blogspot.com/2010/01/richter-on-scriabin-by-faubion-bowers.html

[Drasko]

Richter on Scriabin - a 1965 interview

http://sviatoslavrichter.blogspot.com/2010/01/richter-on-scriabin-by-faubion-bowers.html

Great! Thanks for the find George.

He is right on the money on many things in that interview, like that about Scriabinists, Scriabin's music is perfectly fine on its own, no need for angles, mystical, theosophical or what not.

He is also right about his recording of 5th Sonata on DG not really being that good (not close to Prague).

But the thing that most made me smile is about Liszt's Mephisto Waltz being glaringly proto-Scriabin, same thought dawned on me few years ago while listening to Samuil Feinberg's recording of Mephisto Waltz, maybe not so obvious with other pianists but Feinberg emphasizes the connections unmistakably. I think I can even guess which passage Richter played to the interviewer - starting maybe 15 seconds before 6th minute and lasting till some scales come in, also hear the raising passage about 7:45 (in Feiberg's recording).

Feinberg disc with that Mephisto Waltz is long out of print, one of those ancient Harmonia Mundi's, so I hope nobody will object to link for flac rip? Rest of the disc consists of Tchaikovsky op.80 Sonata and Chopin op.59 Mazurkas (LP length)

Code Select Expand

http://rapidshare.com/files/177380753/feinberg__samuel.rar

I'm not very up to date with Richter's discography, is 1994 Ludwigshafen still his only recording of Scriabin's 7th Sonata?

   

[George]

Great! Thanks for the find George.

Your welcome. I was beginning to think that no one else found that interview informative.

He is right on the money on many things in that interview, like that about Scriabinists, Scriabin's music is perfectly fine on its own, no need for angles, mystical, theosophical or what not.

He is also right about his recording of 5th Sonata on DG not really being that good (not close to Prague).

I have both, I should compare. 

But the thing that most made me smile is about Liszt's Mephisto Waltz being glaringly proto-Scriabin, same thought dawned on me few years ago while listening to Samuil Feinberg's recording of Mephisto Waltz, maybe not so obvious with other pianists but Feinberg emphasizes the connections unmistakably. I think I can even guess which passage Richter played to the interviewer - starting maybe 15 seconds before 6th minute and lasting till some scales come in, also hear the raising passage about 7:45 (in Feiberg's recording).

Feinberg disc with that Mephisto Waltz is long out of print, one of those ancient Harmonia Mundi's, so I hope nobody will object to link for flac rip? Rest of the disc consists of Tchaikovsky op.80 Sonata and Chopin op.59 Mazurkas (LP length)

Code Select Expand

http://rapidshare.com/files/177380753/feinberg__samuel.rar

Awesome! Thanks for that!

I'm not very up to date with Richter's discography, is 1994 Ludwigshafen still his only recording of Scriabin's 7th Sonata?

The webmaster at Trovar told me that he'd be updating the website soon, but that was months ago. I bet if you ask over at the Richter Yahoo group they'd know. 

[bhodges]

Richter on Scriabin - a 1965 interview

http://sviatoslavrichter.blogspot.com/2010/01/richter-on-scriabin-by-faubion-bowers.html

Thanks for this, George.  Loved the side comment about the Yevtushenko poem, about the students working to earn money for all-Scriabin concerts.  And this gave me a chuckle, too: "Scriabinists are tiresome people." 

I might like the Ninth the best, as well, although I still burn a candle for No. 5, the first one I ever heard (with Horowitz).  And even now, over 40 years later, Scriabin still seems underplayed here.  (But then, 1900 is the cut-off date for many people in their listening.  )

--Bruce

[George]

Thanks for this, George.  Loved the side comment about the Yevtushenko poem, about the students working to earn money for all-Scriabin concerts.  And this gave me a chuckle, too: "Scriabinists are tiresome people." 

I might like the Ninth the best, as well, although I still burn a candle for No. 5, the first one I ever heard (with Horowitz).  And even now, over 40 years later, Scriabin still seems underplayed here.  (But then, 1900 is the cut-off date for many people in their listening.  )

--Bruce

Yes, I got into Scriabin very early on with Ashkenazy's set of the solo works and later with Ogdon's. Both pianists play this music wonderfully, though many of Richter's performances are incredible! I like some of what Horowitz recorded as well.

I think getting a set of the sonatas (with some other solo works) like in the 2 CD set by Ogdon on EMI is a great way to get into the composer. the works are presented chronologically and this makes it easy to work one's way into his more "difficult" stuff. I love the journey his music takes me on, which reminds me, I must listen to some of his music soon. It's been too long.

I think we need a thread for his solo piano works.     

[bhodges]

I like all those pianists in Scriabin.  You may have mentioned this elsewhere, but have you heard Roberto Szidon's set on DG?  The sound quality is good, not excellent, but I gather his set was one of the first complete ones.

And yes, it's great to listen to the sonatas chronologically; as they progress, they get stranger and stranger, in the best way.

--Bruce

[George]

I like all those pianists in Scriabin.  You may have mentioned this elsewhere, but have you heard Roberto Szidon's set on DG? The sound quality is good, not excellent, but I gather his set was one of the first complete ones.

I haven't got that one. I have his Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies on DG and enjoy them very much.

And yes, it's great to listen to the sonatas chronologically; as they progress, they get stranger and stranger, in the best way.

--Bruce

Yes, it's like he takes you deeper and deeper into the forest. 

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Thanks for that interview, George.

I think we need a thread for his [Scriabin's] solo piano works. 

There used to be one and I think it was on this board...or maybe the board before. Maybe Q can conjure something up....

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I'm not very up to date with Richter's discography, is 1994 Ludwigshafen still his only recording of Scriabin's 7th Sonata?

There's another one from New York, 1965, on AS Disc that seems exceedingly rare.

[George]

New 14 CD set: Richter in Hungary

Link Here Click on this image when you get to the page -

I am not sure if any/all of this has been released before. These performances do not appear on Trovar, but that discography only covers CDs released in the pianist's lifetime.

[Mandryka]

New 14 CD set: Richter in Hungary

Link Here Click on this image when you get to the page -

I am not sure if any/all of this has been released before. These performances do not appear on Trovar, but that discography only covers CDs released in the pianist's lifetime.

Well, the  Drei Klavierstücke, D. 946, and D. 576  are particularly exciting. So are the Szymanowski Mazurkas.

How to check the sound quality?

It also occured to me that I have never heard him play Chopin Waltzes -- though Trovar shows a handful of performances.

[George]

Well, the  Drei Klavierstücke, D. 946, and D. 576  are particularly exciting. So are the Szymanowski Mazurkas.

How to check the sound quality?

Good question. Perhaps wait for it to appear in the torrents? 

It also occurred to me that I have never heard him play Chopin Waltzes -- though Trovar shows a handful of performances.

Nor have I.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I am not sure if any/all of this has been released before.

From what I can tell (cursory glance) the only recording to have been previously released seems to be the Schubert D.958 from Feb. 9, 1958.

Curiously the Budapest Pictures from 1958 isn't included although that's the performance that's recently turned up on West Hill Radio Archives (it's also been previously released on M&A).

These performances do not appear on Trovar, but that discography only covers CDs released in the pianist's lifetime.

Actually Trovar has done some expanding since Richter's death. There are updates as late as 2006. That's not to say Trovar isn't in need of a major overhaul (Tanin's site is more comprehensive but not as pleasing to read).

[Dancing Divertimentian]

It also occured to me that I have never heard him play Chopin Waltzes -- though Trovar shows a handful of performances.

There aren't too many. I only have the Waltz Op.34/3 from Moscow, 1950 (Ankh) and it's an absolute gem.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

That Ravel looks tempting. But apparently the set isn't available outside Hungary! (Though Trovar seems to be rallying forces...)

[George]

That Ravel looks tempting. But apparently the set isn't available outside Hungary! (Though Trovar seems to be rallying forces...)

It's good that I am not hungry for more Richter at the moment.