Search - Richter, Prokofiev, Shostakovich :: In Vienna

Rare 20th century repertoire by the older Richter

Discophage | France | 01/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"From Bach to Webern and Bartok to Weber, the range and magnitude of Richter's repertoire was simply awesome. And he didn't just nibble at trifles or even at the odd-substantial piece from such and such composer, as Horowitz: he really ploughed deep. Witness the 14 Haydn sonatas of which he has left us recordings, the vast array of Bach, the many Beethoven and Schubert sonatas, the warhorses as well as the rarities of Schumann, etc. And he also tackled lots of rarer stuff, too, like the Haendel Suites (who else plays them on the piano?), chamber music of Franck, Miaskovsky's 3rd piano sonata, Rimsky's piano concerto, and so on. 20th century music was central to his repertoire, with lots of Prokoviev, Shostakovitch, Scriabin but also forays into Bartok, Berg, Britten, Debussy, Gershwin, Hindemith, Poulenc, Ravel, Strauss, Stravinsky, Szymanovsky (the order is alphabetical). The gaps were also glaring, with no recordings of any Scarlatti sonata, for instance, nor of the Chopin or Rachmaninoff sonatas. And one could do a list of the pieces he inexplicably did not approach - and rue their absence from his discography (Bach's Goldberg variations or Berg's piano sonata come to mind).



This double CD box, part of the Richter series published by Decca in the early 90s (other releases included Haydn, Schumann and Brahms) gives us the rare opportunity to hear a concert given in Vienna in February 1989, with 20th century pieces that are far from being well-trodden territory - and not only by Richter. For most of them this is also Richter's only recording, according to Paul Geffen's invaluable discography: Bartok's three powerful and motoric Burlesques, Webern's terse Variations op 27, Hindemith's hammering Suite op. 26, Stravinsky's pounding Piano-Rag Music, and the two out of three movements from Szymanowski's sensuous Metopes op. 29 (to make one lament that he didn't record the piece complete). On the other hand there are five other Richter recordings of Prokofiev's wry second sonata (four of them dating from the 1964-65 season and the last, on Live Classics, from 1994), and Doremi issued another recording of Shostakovitch's Preludes and fugues op. 87/19 & 20 (with 21 & 22 to boot), deriving from a concert given in Moscow in 1974, while Pyramid released # 19 (with again 21 & 22) from a concert given near Tours, France, in 1973.



I haven't done systematic comparisons, and I wouldn't stake my head that these interpretations are the best ever of the pieces. By the time of this recording Richter had evolved from the brash & impetuous virtuoso towards a more brooding and massive style of interpretation, and the Webern, for instance, does seem somewhat heavy-footed. In Stravinsky's Piano-Rag Music, Richter substitutes massive power to dynamism. It is quite impressive, but I doubt that anybody without a good knowledge of the composition will be able to hear the music behind the pounding notes. As for the Prokofiev, just compare the 7:27 (introductory claps deducted) it takes Richter to get through the first movement in 1989, to the 6:50 it took him in Prag, in February 1965 (Chant du Monde Praga 1992, mono sound, slightly distant but well defined: Prokofiev: Sonates pour piano Nos. 2, 6, 9 or Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas Op.14, 82, 103). Still, there is also something that speaks in favor of the deliberate massiveness of the later approach. Richter in his seventies, himself physically massive and sturdy in appearance like some gentle giant, made a Yamaha Grand seem like Schroeder's toy piano, and could produce awesome power. The younger Richter doesn't exclude the older one: they complement each other, really.



So, this is an indispensable addition to the Richterite's collection. But with a sound that is a bit distant and with ill-focused left-hand, and timings that are rather short (46:16 and 50:27), I certainly wouldn't say that this box is worth the unreasonable prices asked for it by some sellers. Shame on Decca for letting it lapse out of availability, enabling some internet vultures to try and take advantage.

"

Fascinating, in spite of the sound

L. Ackerman | Ashburn, VA (USA) | 06/18/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The purpose of writing a review is, surely, not to show off musical knowledge or fancy language, but to help whoever will read it, make a decision. In recordings, such decision is usually based on two factors 1) performance, 2) sound. Sometimes the performance is so good, the sound becomes secondary (oddly, it usually doesn't work the other way around). In classical, of course, this happens a lot.

These Richter releases were always strange because they really sound like pirate recordings, and yet, they have the Decca/London imprimateur.

So, let me qualify that I am quite sure that whoever recorded this (and in 1989!) was seating somewhere in the audience (I bet in a balcony). The distance blurs the piano texture and it almost sounds MONO to me, even though it isn't (actually, the best stereo comes from the applause!) And yet: Richter is amazing and this out-of-the-ordinary performances are special. The seven composers featured cover the gamut of XXth Century piano music. And to hear Richter's take on them is truly fascinating.

Admitedly, with today's technology, the sound can be dramatically improved. But the performances will always remain as good.

Richter fans will like this, and completists should definitely acquire.

"