Search - Modest Mussorgsky, Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Frederic Chopin :: The Sofia Recital 1958

Definitive recording, greatly improved sound

pm444 | Okemos, MI USA | 11/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This legendary recording captures Sviatoslav Richter in a live recital in Sofia in 1958. I first heard it on the DG "Panorama" double CD of selections of Mussorgsky's works. The sound was quite poor: the piano was tinny, there was noticeable surface noise that came and went, and the dynamic range was compressed and lacked depth. Still, the performance was so compelling that I found myself listening to it over and over again. Even after buying the Byron Janis recording on Mercury with much better sound, I missed the intensity and power of Richter's performance. So when this newly remastered version became available, I immediately bought it, hoping that it would be an improvement. The sound of this new remastering is what this performance has deserved all along. The surface noise is almost totally gone, and the sound of the piano is much more natural, without the dry, compressed sound of the previous version. The audience is still noisy, with coughs throughout, but you get used to it after a couple listenings. The same is true of the infamous fluffed note in the opening; it's there, it's grating the first few times, then it almost takes on a certain charm all its own. But the real power of this recording is the incredible performance by one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. Some have said that this is the greatest piano recording ever made of anything, period. While that is perhaps an overstatement, it's certainly not far from the truth. This is an essential recording, not just because it's the definitive recording of "Pictures", but because of the power and beauty of Richter's artistry. I still enjoy the Janis recording with its clean sound and accomplished playing, but Richter's total involvement with the music surpasses Janis and all others. My only complaint is that while the notes include a short biography of Richter, there's nothing about the recital itself, nor are there any comments about the process used in this latest remastering. This is an unfortunate oversight, especially when Philips could have justifiably used this as a stunning example of their newest remastering techniques."

A Slice of History, Recorded for the Ages

Eugene G. Barnes | Dunn Loring, VA USA | 03/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sofia, Bulgaria. February, 1958. There's a nasty cold going round. Communism's grayness is everywhere. People can barely afford to attend a concert, even at Warsaw Pact prices. But they come to hear a Ukrainian pianist of German extraction play a demanding program. And someone sets up a monophonic tape recorder. The microphone isn't as close to the piano as it ought to be.Western civilization has lived now for forty-odd years with this recording of Moussorgsky's "Pictures." Some of us have auditioned seemingly countless other performances. But this is the one we always come back to. This is the ultimate, warts and all.The first time it was released on CD, I was happy to see that the remainder of the concert had been added (the old Columbia LP contained only the "Pictures"). It's now chock full of shorter pieces, many thrice-familiar and a couple less so, all well done. Now we have 73 minutes of music.Why do we all so cheerfully tolerate the below-par sound, the coughing, and the gaffs? Because the overall conception of the work, as realized by Richter, is so compelling. If you only know the "Pictures" from the orchestrated version, it's time for you to buy and get to know the original piano version. And this is the best one out there. Allow yourself to be swept away."