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Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Sviatoslav Richter - The Sofia Recital 1958


Information

Composer: Modest Mussorgsky; Franz Schubert; Frédéric Chopin; Franz Liszt; Sergei Rachmaninov
  • (01-14) Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition
  • (15) Schubert - Moment musical in C major, D. 780 No. 1
  • (16) Schubert - Impromptu in E flat major, D. 899 No. 2
  • (17) Schubert - Impromptu in A flat major, D. 899 No. 4
  • (18) Chopin - Étude in E major, Op. 10 No. 3
  • (19) Liszt - Valse oubliée No. 1 in F sharp major
  • (20) Liszt - Valse oubliée No. 2 in A flat major
  • (21) Liszt - Étude d'exécution transcendante No. 5 'Feux follets'
  • (22) Liszt - Etude d'exécution transcendante No. 11 'Harmonies du soir'
  • (23) Rachmaninov - Prélude in G sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12

Sviatoslav Richter, piano
Date: 1958
Label: Philips
http://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4647342


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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 4

Taped in Sofia, Bulgaria, in February 1958, this recital by Sviatoslav Richter has long been a discographic legend. Having been tremendously impressed by new digital transfers of other recordings in the “Philips 50” series, I should register at the outset a slight element of disappointment with the still limited dynamic range, variable keyboard focus, and sometimes infuriating distortion that still persists here. It may well be that the original masters were simply too primitive to improve upon, but nevertheless your ear should adjust quite readily to the sonic shortcomings of this disc, if indeed your intellect and imagination haven’t already been completely seduced by the transcendent mastery of this piano playing.

Richter’s interpretation of Mussorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition is often said to be definitive, and indeed there are few (if any) rival interpretations of the original piano version of the work that can leave you totally convinced you’d rather hear this than Ravel’s orchestration. Your response to the remaining works on this disc, by Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninov, will be largely determined by subjective considerations. The two Schubert Impromptus and the Moment Musical in C, the first of the D780 set, are possibly the most emotionally searching and lyrically intense performances of these pieces ever committed to disc. Personally, I find Richter’s almost painful intensity disconcerting, and the same also could be said for his performance of the Chopin Étude in E Op. 10 No. 3.

The Liszt pieces are a staggering testimony to Richter’s formidable virtuosity, and in musical terms alone this disc should have its own niche in every collection! Incidentally, this material was last issued in a two-disc package from the Philips “Great Pianists of the 20th Century” series, alongside Richter’s performances of Prokofiev’s piano sonatas Nos. 6, 7, and 8, though their absence from this latest reissue of the Sofia recital shouldn’t deter you from obtaining these recordings if you missed them previously.

-- ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Sept01/Richter1958.htm
http://www.flyinginkpot.com/1998/06/essential-richter-the-sofia-recital-1958/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chopin-Liszt-Mussorgsky-Schubert-Recital/dp/B0000523QI
https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-Richter-Sofia-Recital-1958/dp/B0000523QI

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Sviatoslav Richter (March 20 [O.S. March 7] 1915 – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet pianist known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. Richter worked tirelessly to learn new pieces. His vast repertoire, around eighty different programs, not counting chamber works, ranged from Handel and Bach to Szymanowski, Berg, Webern, Stravinsky, Bartók, Hindemith, Britten, and Gershwin. Despite his large discography, Richter disliked the recording process, and most of Richter's recordings originate from live performances.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sviatoslav_Richter

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6 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. once ownig the CD releases of this breathtaking recital (both this and the earlier one) i've acquired later on eBay a part of this recording on 6-eye Columbia vinyl.
    only Pictures at an Exibition, and nothing more. but the sonic quality is far better, cca 7.5-8.
    i think, correct estimate for the artistic value would be not equal to 10, but rather 11 or 12...

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  4. This links are dead :( Could you please reload them? Thank you very much.

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  5. Choose one link, copy and paste it to your browser's address bar, wait a few seconds (you may need to click 'Continue' first), then click 'Skip Ad' (or 'Get link').
    If you are asked to download or install anything, IGNORE, only download from file hosting site (mega.nz).
    If MEGA shows 'Bandwidth Limit Exceeded' message, try to create a free account.

    http://stoodsef.com/4VMH
    or
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    or
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