Identical to "Richter - The Authorized Recordings"
SwissDave | Switzerland | 01/17/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yes, this not only looks like, but IS a straight reissue of Philips 438617, despite the fact that it says "DDD" (excuse me?!) and "Recordings made in in 1963 (CD 2 [1]-[7]) and 1993" on the back label. Someone probably meant to refer to some copyright, as first release would in fact not be true either. Most of the material on this double CD has appeared in one form or another before, although hardly (to my knowledge) in higher quality remasterings.
I love Richter's Haydn, and for the most part don't care if what he does with his sonatas is "correct" in view of period performance etc. I find his Haydn eternally interesting, and from a record collector's and/or music lover's point of view, I'm not sure there can be greater praise. What we have here first is a 39th Piano Sonata Hob. XVI: 24 that I find discographically perplexing because the first movement is well-neigh identical to the one in the version issued by Olympia (reissued by Alto: Sonatas with Richter), that is purportedly from Freiburg, 6-8 March 1985 - one wonders if some of these "performances" have been pieced together! If I had to venture a guess, judging from timbre, soundstage, background noise etc., I'd say either could be a non-spliced live performance - but I wouldn't bet on it. To make matters more complicated, note that all known recordings of this sonata by Richter are from 1984/1985, and that includes the passionate live account once available on Praga (Prague, 4 March 1985), now unfortunately out of print. What we have here is a more internalised performance that inexorably grows in intensity. I like the Olympia/Alto version even better, admittedly in part because of the truly life-like sound quality there.
The performance here of Haydn's 62nd Sonata Hob. XVI: 52 dates from Ferrara, 19 November 1966, and appears not to have been available in any other form (except, of course, in its original release as part of the discontinued Philips "Authorized" collection). There's a Bucharest, 27 February 1960, performance (on Melodiya) that appears to have been reissued most often (there's usually a reason for that), but which I must admit I don't know, so I can't tell how the two interpretations relate to each other. At any rate, this sonata is so popular, owning more than one recording of it seems (to me at least) imperative anyhow. Let me just say that this is a very different interpretation from, but as enjoyable to listen to as e.g. Brendel's studio recording - no mean feat. Whereas Brendel's is wittier, fussier in detail without ever loosing perspective of the long arch, Richter's is more internalised, pastel-coloured in more subtle shades, thus (to me) more beautiful from a purely pianistic point of view. As to which I like better, this 1966 Ferrara or Richter's 1987 Mantova recording on Decca, I'm unable to make up my mind: even listening to both back to back, I invariably seem to prefer the one I'm currently listening to (the earlier one does sound sprightlier, more searching in detail, with little pedal being used; the later emphasizes cohesion, the long arch a bit more, tempting to say it sounds a bit more of the wisdom of old age, more rounded perhaps). Richter's interpretative concept does not appear to have changed significantly in those 21 years.
The 3rd Sonata appears to be the only Weber Richter played, and while there are multiple recordings (not all of which I know) in his discography, I doubt there can be a finer one than this live version from the Chiesa di San Francesco, Locarno, 8 September 1966. It's a rarely performed piece, but definitely worth hearing, one of the gems of this collection.
The second disc consists of all Beethoven. I happen to collect Beethoven sonatas more than any other composer's, and could enumerate multiple alternative recordings I like as well as or better than the ones here (the fine, slightly didactic in places, but heartfelt for the most part studio recording of the 9th, and the even better studio recording of the 11th, both recorded in 1963, plus a nice live version of the proto-Schubertian 27th from Salzburg, 21 August 1965, which was available before on the Music&Arts label, but which I ultimately find no match for the interpretations/recordings by Moravec, Schnabel, Kempff et al.), with the exception of what some may well consider the main attraction of this set (I'd really buy it again for the Haydn and Weber alone): a performance of Beethoven's 12th, aka the "Funeral March" Sonata, from Ferrara, 19 November 1966, that tops Richter's other interpretations, including the famous 1960 RCA studio recording (also available as audiophile JVC XRCD pressing), and which I'm likely to listen to more often in the future than either Schnabel's or Kempff's.
Should perhaps mention that sound quality varies from good to very good indeed (the piano sound of the 27th is somewhat flinty and the master tape a bit noisy, but as hinted at before, it's the performance I care about least in this collection - not to be confused with Richter's 1971 studio recording which incidentally took place in Salzburg also, by the way!).
Greetings from Switzerland, David."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1