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Post by howardschumann on Apr 2, 2017 17:41:51 GMT
Lately, I’ve begun to appreciate the great and truly unique Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter. Up until this year, he was just another name to me, but when I listened for the first time to his performances of Schubert Piano Sonatas, No. 18, D.894 and No. 20, D.960. I was mesmerized. They are unspeakably heartfelt and poignant.
Since then I have downloaded and listened to more than 20 of his performances including all of the Beethoven piano sonatas that he recorded (he didn’t touch 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, or 26 for some reason), his great performances of the Schumann Piano Concerto, the Saint-Saens Piano Concert No. 5, Beethoven 3rd Piano Concerto, the Rachmaninoff 2nd, Chopin Ballades and Etudes, and the Tchaikovsky No. 1 and I’m still exploring.
Even in his later years, his playing is full of youthful energy. He is always present to the music and conveys what the composer must have felt when composing. Richter has his own style for sure but never intrudes between the composer and the music. When I listen to one of his performances, I feel like I’m hearing the work for the first time.
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Post by Carl LaFong on Apr 2, 2017 19:54:31 GMT
Have his Rach 2 on CD. Superb.
Love this short clip of him:
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Post by general313 on Apr 2, 2017 22:05:27 GMT
I'm a big fan of his works by the later Romantic composers (after Beethoven), and especially love his piano concerto recordings of Chopin, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. I have some of his Beethoven sonata recordings and for some reason those don't really do it for me (I think Gilels is the clear winner for those).
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Post by howardschumann on Apr 3, 2017 6:19:52 GMT
Have his Rach 2 on CD. Superb. Who is the conductor and orchestra on the performance of Rach 2 you have on CD? |
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Post by howardschumann on Apr 3, 2017 6:30:11 GMT
I'm a big fan of his works by the later Romantic composers (after Beethoven), and especially love his piano concerto recordings of Chopin, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. I have some of his Beethoven sonata recordings and for some reason those don't really do it for me (I think Gilels is the clear winner for those). Did Richter record one or both of the Chopin Piano Concertos? I haven't come across any. If you like late romantic, listen to his performance of the Schumann Concerto. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUV0Fse9dzcWhich of his Beethoven sonata recordings do you have? Sorry, I cannot put the Gilels Beethoven recordings I've heard in the same category of excellence as Richter, especially comparing their performances of #23, 28, and 29, though I do like his performance of #12 and his performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto and the Mozart 27th. |
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Post by Carl LaFong on Apr 3, 2017 17:08:17 GMT
Have his Rach 2 on CD. Superb. Who is the conductor and orchestra on the performance of Rach 2 you have on CD? It's the Warsaw Phil conducted by Stanislaw Wislocki. It's this CD: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000001GQD/ |
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Post by howardschumann on Apr 3, 2017 18:01:46 GMT
Yes, that's also the one I have. Great. I also like William Kapell's performance. |
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Post by general313 on Apr 3, 2017 19:05:03 GMT
I'm a big fan of his works by the later Romantic composers (after Beethoven), and especially love his piano concerto recordings of Chopin, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. I have some of his Beethoven sonata recordings and for some reason those don't really do it for me (I think Gilels is the clear winner for those). Did Richter record one or both of the Chopin Piano Concertos? I haven't come across any. If you like late romantic, listen to his performance of the Schumann Concerto. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUV0Fse9dzcWhich of his Beethoven sonata recordings do you have? Sorry, I cannot put the Gilels Beethoven recordings I've heard in the same category of excellence as Richter, especially comparing their performances of #23, 28, and 29, though I do like his performance of #12 and his performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto and the Mozart 27th. I have this disc. www.amazon.com/Chopin-Concerto-Saint-Saens-Franck-Richter/dp/B000001HCUIt was this recording that got me interested in the Saint Saens piano concertos. I have the Beethoven #12 by Richter and Gilels. To me it's not even close. Anyway, de gustibus, etc... I will have to check out the Schumann PC. |
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Post by howardschumann on Apr 3, 2017 22:39:14 GMT
Cham313: I agree. Gilels 12th is great.
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Post by general313 on Apr 3, 2017 23:57:46 GMT
Maybe I used too small a sample to form my opinion of Richer's Beethoven (and perhaps the most misleading on at that). Which sonatas performed by Richter would you recommend?
edit: oops, just reread your post and noticed your saying "#23, 28, and 29". Yeah, maybe the late Beethoven would work well with Richter.
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Post by general313 on Apr 10, 2017 23:56:06 GMT
Just listened to the CD that I ordered of Richter playing the Hammerklavier. Wow! The slow movement and the last one are really something else. Thanks for that recommendation.
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Post by howardschumann on Apr 12, 2017 17:32:13 GMT
Just listened to the CD that I ordered of Richter playing the Hammerklavier. Wow! The slow movement and the last one are really something else. Thanks for that recommendation. Besides those three I mentioned, I also love 3, 6 (what a terrific last movement), 7, 9, 18, 27, 31, and 32. For 17, my favorite is Gieseking, for 13, Brendel, for 15, Backhaus, and I also hold Schnabel in very high regard in all of them. |
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Post by hi224 on Apr 13, 2017 3:34:20 GMT
lol when I saw this thread thought you were saying Max Richter.
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Post by jillresurrected on Oct 27, 2017 15:35:51 GMT
Nobody plays Bach's Welltempered Clavier as well as he does.
I especially love his interpretation of BMV 855:
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Post by jillresurrected on Oct 27, 2017 15:38:04 GMT
Did Richter record one or both of the Chopin Piano Concertos? I haven't come across any. If you like late romantic, listen to his performance of the Schumann Concerto. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUV0Fse9dzcWhich of his Beethoven sonata recordings do you have? Sorry, I cannot put the Gilels Beethoven recordings I've heard in the same category of excellence as Richter, especially comparing their performances of #23, 28, and 29, though I do like his performance of #12 and his performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto and the Mozart 27th. I have this disc. www.amazon.com/Chopin-Concerto-Saint-Saens-Franck-Richter/dp/B000001HCUIt was this recording that got me interested in the Saint Saens piano concertos. I have the Beethoven #12 by Richter and Gilels. To me it's not even close. Anyway, de gustibus, etc... I will have to check out the Schumann PC. I love Gilels. I once listened to his Pathetique (Ludwig van) live on YouTube. Don't remember which it was. He literally set the piano on fire. |
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Post by general313 on Oct 27, 2017 23:52:44 GMT
I love Gilels. I once listened to his Pathetique (Ludwig van) live on YouTube. Don't remember which it was. He literally set the piano on fire. He's at the top of my list too, especially for the Beethoven sonatas. It's a pity that there are no available recordings of the last sonata (#32) by him (at least that I have been able to find). |
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thornberry
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Post by thornberry on Jan 8, 2019 3:05:07 GMT
I love Gilels. I once listened to his Pathetique (Ludwig van) live on YouTube. Don't remember which it was. He literally set the piano on fire. He's at the top of my list too, especially for the Beethoven sonatas. It's a pity that there are no available recordings of the last sonata (#32) by him (at least that I have been able to find). There are recordings of #32 on amazon grouped with several other Beethoven sonatas. |
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Post by general313 on Jan 8, 2019 15:44:44 GMT
He's at the top of my list too, especially for the Beethoven sonatas. It's a pity that there are no available recordings of the last sonata (#32) by him (at least that I have been able to find). There are recordings of #32 on amazon grouped with several other Beethoven sonatas. Thanks, will have to look that up. |
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