Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven & Chopin

On this CD:

1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach

2. Etude for piano in C major, Op. 10/1, CT 14
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach

3. Etude for piano in A minor, Op. 10/2, CT 15
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach

4. Etude for piano in E major, Op. 10/3, CT 16
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach

5. Etude for piano in C sharp minor, Op. 10/4, CT 17
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach

6. Etude for piano in E flat minor, Op. 10/6, CT 19
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach

7. Etude for piano in E flat major, Op. 10/11, CT 24
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach

8. Etude for piano in C minor ("Revolutionary"), Op. 10/12, CT 25
Composed by Fryderyk Chopin
Performed by Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter
Conducted by Christoph Eschenbach

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Sviatoslav Richter made a great recording of the Beethoven First Piano Concerto for RCA, but this isn't it. Fortunately, that version (with Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony), recorded in 1960, is still available (RCA Victor Gold Seal 6804), generously coupled with two Beethoven Piano Sonatas, and it still sounds just great. This 1988 live performance is relatively slow and sluggish, far from the pianist's best despite its good moments. Some of the Chopin Etudes are extremely sensitive and involving, enough to tempt the Richter fan. But this is definitely not essential Richter. --Leslie Gerber

Tracks:

Andante Favori F - Dur WoO 57
Walzer As - Dur Op. 34,1
Walzer A-Moll Op. 34,1
Walzer F - Dur Op. 34,3
Scherzo B - Moll Op. 31
Barcarolle Fis - Dur Op. 60
Suite Bergamasque: Prelude
Suite Bergamasque: Menuet
Suite Bergamasque: Claire De Lune
Suite Bergamasque: Passepied
Estampes: Pagodes
Estampes: La Soiree Dans Grenade
Estampes: Jardins Sous La Pluie

Customer Reviews:

Svatoslav Richter, the giant of the piano.......2007-05-07

Richter is surely one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.
This performance of Clair de lune is simply magnificent.
This CD is a must, strongly suggested.

What can happen in a live performance - a miracle.......2006-12-16

I have little to add to what the other excellent reviewers have said about this recital. I just want to draw your attention to the performance of the Chopin Barcarolle which is by far the greatest I have ever heard. Richter plays a painful wrong note about 60 seconds into the piece (audible in the Amazon exceerpt) - it acts as a moment of liberation that throws all inhibition aside, after which he plays as a man possessed. The final climax and coda of the piece are nothing short of awesome - I have never heard any pianist (certainly not Lipatti, for whom I have high regard) come close to unleashing the extraordinary passion, mixed with anxiety, of those pages. Had Richter left us with no legacy other than this one performance, his reputation among the piano greats would be guaranteed. Incidentally, I have heard many other performances of the Barcarolle by Richter, both live and on CD; none comes close to this.

Another historical recital for the future's musical memory! .......2006-07-29

When finally the great living legend at that moment, decided to play in Salzburg Festival, a crowd of enthusiastic people assisted to watch him. Richter accustomed to make his recitals in small Concert Halls, so the chance could not be missed.

In this program Richter chose to play an unusual repertoire, combing Beethoven with an atmospheric Chopin and an superb Debussy.

Chopin' s Richter sound in this opportunity with aristocratic elegance and sumptuous lyricism. His Debussy was loaded of ethereal and incorporeal rapture. I must confess that, since the times of Walter Gieseking, I had not heard such peerless éclat, filled of ecstatic poetry, dressy earnestness and delirious lyricism. He literally reinvented the Bergamasque Suite, embellished of expressive profundity and gratifying phrasing.

Thanks to Orpheus label' s efforts, we will always be able to remind this unforgettable recital, one of the most amazing artistic experiences for all those fortunate people who could presence it.

This recital must be a must-acquire for you, because of the fact this decade was specially loaded of interpretative effervescence. Try by all your means to get the famous Varsaw Recital of 1972 best known as All Scriabin and you will owe two golden living recods of this majuscule pianist: the supreme Richer.

Richter's Unmatched Insights Are Well Worth the Price.......2005-03-25

Unlike many pianists, Richter, a Russian-German from around the Ukraine who was famous for being his own worst critic, would not perform a piece unless he felt he could add something to the way it had been interpreted by others. This CD is an outstanding example of just how much Richter could add. He opens so many new windows onto these compositions that even if you have heard them for many years, you will find new insights and ways to hear, understand and enjoy this music. These are exquisite performances. It is almost as if Richter demands that he be able to justify each note as an intrusion on silence, and hews to a sort of baseline of calm, departing from it only when the music requires it, or perhaps examining each work from the ground up. There is no "wallpaper" here. I could not take any of these selections for granted. Richter has this effect in many cases, his Appassionata sonata, Rachmininoff 2d concerto and Tchaikowsky 1st being only the first examples I encountered as an adolescent. Over the ensuing years I have grown to understand how this man came to be lionized by so many. Though some pieces seem simple, Richter, through his unmatched capacity for reflection and interpretation, draws from them their inherent beauty, power and passion. The music on this recording enriches one's emotional and intellectual life. It is the opposite of New Age.

Breathtaking.......2004-11-26

For those already familiar with the genius of Sviatoslav Richter, this disc would make an excellent addition to an already extensive library. There is not a single weak track here; each piece has its own finely nuanced character, and is treated to perfection by Richter's sensitive and exciting (but never over-indulgent or sentimentalized) playing.

Newcomers would also be well-advised to purchase this recording. The selection of music, especially the Chopin and Beethoven and Debussy's Claire de Lune, is particularly accessible and beautiful. In that respect, it makes a better starting point than, say, Prokofiev or Mussorgsky, if one has not yet become familiarized with the brilliance of Richter's intrepretations.

The only drawbacks I can think of are in terms of recording quality. All of the songs were recorded live at the end of the 1977 Salzburg festival, so there is some hiss and audience noise in the background when the music is turned up enough to be well heard. I find, however, that if listened to with headphones, distractions are considerably reduced, and the excitement factor associated with live recordings increases dramatically. Claire de Lune is the best example of this. Being a very well known and widely recorded piece, it can be difficult for some to adjust to new and different interpretations. Richter takes it very slowly, slower than most would dare, and yet this tempo provides for a tenfold increase in energy. The space between notes is filled with anticipation; I have not found a more satisfying version of Debussy's lyric masperpiece.

All things considered, I give this album my highest recommendations. It perfectly represents the rich and sensitive beauty for which Richter was so justifiably famed. Buy it.

Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann

Average customer rating:

Memorable recital!
Richter is brilliant
robert schumann, piano concerto in A minor, richter, s.,pian

Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann

Manufacturer: BBC Legends
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000B1A5D
Release Date: 2003-10-07

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I. Allegro
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III. Rondo. Allegro Comodo
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II. Andante
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II. Romanze. Ziemlich Langsam
III. Scherzino
IV. Intermezzo. Mit Grosser Energie
V. Finale. Hochst Lebhaft
Etude In C Sharp Minor, Op.10 No.4

Customer Reviews:

Memorable recital!.......2006-07-29

The Royal Festival Hall's audiences were witnesses also knew about the grandness of this mater of the piano. Richter, had caused absolute disturbance as well as a evident furor in USA with motive of his debut in Carnegie Hall in 1960.

Richter knew to choose his repertoire according the audiences. He decided to start in Carnegie Hall with Haydn, but in London 1963 Beethoven was the chosen composer to initiate that unforgettable soirée. Impeccable phrasing and accurate fingering was enough to deserve all the praises.

The Second half of the Recital was still better, because the introspective mood of Robert Schumann was always much more closer to Richter ` s temperament. And this was a very risky decision, specially when the great audiences in London had listened to Benedetti Michelangeli in the famous recital of 1957, but smartly Richter also knew there was no other pianist with such renowned fame like him from those times. Besides he had been known in 1960 because the terrible controversy, generated with Karajan with motive of visible discrepancies around the triple Concert . So the expectative was enormous and Richter accepted the huge challenge.

The result was surprisingly effective. Richter was overwhelmingly inspired that evening and even 43 years after, the positive comments still are in the environment. He overpowered the audience with his strong artistic personality. When you listen the chosen piece, product of the sonorous applauses, Chopin `s Etude No. 4 , you will know why that night had to be a mesmerizing experience.

Additionally you will hear the most mesmerizing Wanderer that Richter ever layed.

A musical document of incalculable value!

Richter is brilliant.......2005-07-09

The contents of this CD: two Beethoven sonatas (Op. 14, #1 in E and #2 in G); Schubert's "Wanderer" Fantasy; Schumann's Theme & Variation on "Abegg" (Op. 1) and Faschingschwank aus Wien (Op. 26); and a Chopin Etude (Op. 10, #4 in C# minor). These are concert recordings from the Royal Albert Hall in 1963, but the sound quality is good and the audience noise is minimal (until the thunderous applause at the end of each piece). Richter, of course, shines. His Beethoven is powerful and precise. His interpretation of the "Wanderer" Fantasy breathes a wonderful vitality into that piece. The Schumann is wonderful, especially the relatively obscure "Faschingschwank." The Chopin --- no doubt an encore piece --- gives a rousing close to this piece. For anyone interested in these pieces, and/or anyone interested in studying Richter, one of the great pianists of the 20th century, I would heartily recommend this album.

robert schumann, piano concerto in A minor, richter, s.,pian.......2005-02-12

I haven't heard your recording, so I cannot rate it,
However, I heard a recording abour 40 yearsa ago. It is,
undoubted one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed. Sviatoslave Richter is superb!!!

Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven-Diabelli Variations

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Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven-Diabelli Variations

Manufacturer: Moscow Studio
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00019JQ2I
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Album Description

Thirty-Three Variations on the theme of a Waltz in C major by Diabelli, Op. 120 is one of Beethoven's most remarkable works, the culmination of a long evolution of structure in variation in his music.

Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven & Chopin

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Sviatoslav Richter Plays Beethoven & Chopin

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000003FER
Release Date: 1994-03-15

Tracks:

Con No.1, Op.15 in C: Allegro Con Brio
Con No.1, Op.15 in C: Largo
Con No.1, Op.15 in C: Rondo: Allegro Scherzando
Etudes, Op.10: No.1-Allegro
Etudes, Op.10: No.2-Allegro, Sempre Legato
Etudes, Op.10: No.3-Lento Ma Non Troppo
Etudes, Op.10: No.4-Presto
Etudes, Op.10: No.6-Andante Con Molto Espressione
Etudes, Op.10: No.1-Allegretto
Etudes, Op.10: No.12-Allegro Con Fuoco

Amazon.com

Sviatoslav Richter made a great recording of the Beethoven First Piano Concerto for RCA, but this isn't it. Fortunately, that version (with Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony), recorded in 1960, is still available (RCA Victor Gold Seal 6804), generously coupled with two Beethoven Piano Sonatas, and it still sounds just great. This 1988 live performance is relatively slow and sluggish, far from the pianist's best despite its good moments. Some of the Chopin Etudes are extremely sensitive and involving, enough to tempt the Richter fan. But this is definitely not essential Richter. --Leslie Gerber

Average customer rating:

Sviatoslav Richter plays Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann
Sviatoslav Richter
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000063XR2
Release Date: 2002-08-05

Tracks:

Sonata For Piano No. 1 In F Major
Sonata For Piano No. 7 In D Major
Sonata For Piano No. 17 In D Minor - La Tempete
Andante Fovori In F Major
Sonata For Piano In A Major
Fantasie In C Major D.760 - Wanderer
Fantasie In C Major Op. 17

Richter Plays Beethoven, Weber, Schubert, Chopin

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Richter Plays Beethoven, Weber, Schubert, Chopin

Manufacturer: Urania
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001LYGV2
Release Date: 2004-03-30

Sviatislav Richter Plays Bach, Haydn, Beethoven

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Sviatislav Richter Plays Bach, Haydn, Beethoven

Manufacturer: Live Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003DKR
Release Date: 1996-05-21

Tracks:

Capriccio - uber die Abreise eines geliebten Bruders
Sonate Nr. 44: Moderato
Sonate Nr. 44: Adagio
Sonate Nr. 44: Tempo di Menuetto
Sonate Nr. 11: Allegro con brio
Sonate Nr. 11: Adagio con molta espressione
Sonate Nr. 11: Menuetto
Sonate Nr. 11: Rondo, Allegretto

Sviatoslav Richter plays Beethoven's Variations for Piano

Average customer rating:

Unmatched Performances - If Only The Sound Were Better

Sviatoslav Richter plays Beethoven's Variations for Piano

Manufacturer: Music & Arts Program
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001OGV
Release Date: 1995-08-22

Tracks:

Theme: Vivace
Var. I: Alla Marcia, Maestoso
Var II: Poco Allegro
Var III: L'Istesso Tempo
Var IV: Un Poco Piu Vivace
Var V: Allegro Vivace
Var VI: Allegro Ma Non Troppo E Serioso
Var VII: Un Poco Piu Allegro
Var VIII: Poco Vivace
Var IX: Allegro Pesante E Risoluto
Var X: Presto
Var XI: Allegretto
Var XII: Un Poco Piu Moto
Var XIII: Vivace
Var XIV: Grave E Maestoso
Var XV: Presto Scherzando
Var XVI: Allegro
Var XVII: L'Istesso Tempo
Var XVIII: Poco Moderato
Var XIX: Presto
Var XX: Andante
Var XXI: Allegro Con Brio
Var XXII: Allegro Molto Alla 'Notte E Giorno Faticar' Di...
Var XXIII: Allegro Assai
Var XXIV: Fughetta: Andante
Var XXV: Allegro
Var XXVI: L'Istesso Tempo
Var XXVII: Vivace
Var XXVIII: Allegro
Var XXIX: Adagio Ma Non Troppo
Var XXX: Andante, Sempre Cantabile
Var XXXI: Largo, Molto Espressivo
Var XXXII: Fuga: Allegro
Var XXXIII: Tempo Di Minuetto Moderato
Intro & Theme: Allegretto Vivace-Poco Adagio-Tempo I
Var I
Var II
Var III
Var IV
Var V
Var VI
Var VII (Canone All'ottava)
Var VIII
Var IX
Var X
Var XI
Var XII
Var XIII
Var XIV (Minor)
Var XV (Major: Largo)
Finale: Alla Fuga: Allegro Con Brio
Theme: Allegro Risoluto
Var I
Var II
Var III
Var IV
Var V
Var VI

Customer Reviews:

Unmatched Performances - If Only The Sound Were Better.......2002-01-16

This is a rather rare disc of Sviatoslov Ricther that is devoted entirely to variations by Beethoven. The Diabelli, Eroica, and opus 76 variations are played with incomparable flair, color, and emotion by this greatest of Russian pianists. Performance-wise, you will not find better versions of these pieces. However, the sound quality could be significantly better, even from a live performance, seeing as how it was taped in 1970. It's not that there is a lot of static or unclear or muffled sound, it's just that the piano sounds rather distant, which is quite odd. Nonetheless, the poor sound cannot detract from these stunning performances of Beethoven's great variations, especially the Diabellis. Get this CD if you see it in the store because it is a rarity that you most likely will not find online. Highly recommended. Very enjoyable.

Average customer rating:

Sviatislav Richter Plays Bach, Haydn, Beethoven

Manufacturer: Live Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD