Search - Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter :: Svjatoslav Richter in Prague

An indispensable recording

04/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this disc for the Grieg. I kept it for the Dvorák. Despite its flaws, the Dvorak Piano Concerto deserves to be heard. This monaural recording is a 1966 live broadcast for Czech radio. This concerto is rarely performed, because it dates from early in Dvorák's career and is not regarded as one of his stronger scores. Nonetheless, bad Dvorák is, relative to most music, surprisingly good. The concerto is not an especially virtuosic piece from the pianist's standpoint, but is beautiful and rhapsodic. Richter plays with an admirable blend of confidence and lyricism, and Vaclav Smetacek provides a sympathetic accompaniment. The Grieg is a stereo recording from 1977. Strangely enough, the sound is less satisfactory here than in the monaural Dvorák from 11 years earlier. There is a slightly metallic tint to the sound which I found somewhat unnerving. Less petty people can probably get past this issue, and appreciate the performance for its outstanding artistry.Praga is a somewhat obscure label, so I suspect that this recording will be somewhat neglected at the music store. This would be most unfortunate, as this disc features an unfairly neglected piece, played by an exceptional performer at the very zenith of his powers."

Richter at his best!

Scriabinmahler | UK | 11/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Richter's rendition of Grieg concerto is uncompromising and as hard as nature itself, none of the Romantic sentimentality often associated with this piece. One can feel the capacity of the instrument is stretched to the limit in octave passages. No pianists can match Richter's Grieg in its depth, grandeur and etherial beauty of the slow movement. Rubinstein once said, in the Film Richter the Enigma, that piano sounded so different when he heard Richter played, these two concerto recordings are the prime example. Under his hands the instrument starts to breathe with human warmth. Listen to the slow movement of Dvorak concerto. The piano sound shimmers and melts as if the sound comes from the world beyond ours. Every pianist of our generation must listen to these recordings and must realise that faithfully reproducing notes is not music making at all!"