Richter Rediscovered: Carnegie Hall Recital 1960 [Limited Edition, Original recording remastered]

Franz Joseph Haydn (Composer), Frederic Chopin (Composer), Sergey Rachmaninov (Composer), Maurice Ravel (Composer), Sergey Prokofiev (Composer), Claude Debussy (Composer), Sviatoslav Richter (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Sviatoslav Richter
• Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn, Frederic Chopin, Sergey Rachmaninov, Maurice Ravel, Sergey Prokofiev, et al.
• Audio CD (July 18, 2005)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition, Original recording remastered
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00005OLD9
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,412 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

RCA Victor's Richter Rediscovered lets us hear Sviatoslav Richter perform with intensity and purpose he rarely matched and still more rarely surpassed. This two-CD set comprises Richter's entire Dec. 26, 1960, Carnegie Hall recital and several encores from the same program two days later in Newark's Mosque Theater. Most transcripts of Richter's live performances miss details in his playing--the prismatic shimmer of his tone in all registers, for example, or the way he could instantaneously jump from triple pianissimo to triple fortissimo. But RCA's superb recorded sound does justice to the pianist's variety of nuance and range of dynamics. Younger listeners will now hear Richter "live" the way we older ones remember him: performing Haydn's Sonata No. 50 in C with lapidarian perfection as well as with freedom of rhythm and expression; diversifying, without diluting, the savagery of Prokofiev's Sonata No. 6 by employing softer colors than those usually heard; playing Rachmaninov's Prelude in A with gigantic chords made more all the more impressive by the subtle emergence of the delicate melody from within them; and endowing Chopin's Étude in A flat (Op. 10, No. 10) with breathtaking poetry through ingenious variations of touch and rhythm. --Stephen Wigler

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Richter was generally miserable on his American début tour between October 1960 and January 1961, frankly admitting that he played badly in his first Carnegie Hall recital and refusing to sanction the issue of recordings (some did nevertheless briefly appear on LP). But according to RCA's introductory note, he did approve the stereo recordings of two extra concerts scheduled to cope with the extraordinary demand for tickets. The first of these, again at Carnegie Hall, forms the basis of the present two CDs, most of its material being previously unreleased; the second, at Newark's Mosque Theatre two days later, did come out on LP, minus the encores which are here included as a fill-up.The piano is extremely close-miked throughout, virtually eliminating ambience. We could almost be listening to a domestic recital on a baby grand in a carpeted living-room, and it is impossible to get a true impression of Richter's sound in the hall. Yet this does allow for every tiniest subtlety of attack and colour to register. Audience noise is minimal, and applause is included in truncated form. Richter's interpretations are for the most part familiar from his already compendious discography. His Haydn is satisfyingly or maddeningly severe according to taste, and there are passages where he seems to be falling back on tried-and-tested routines. But the slow movement has moments of pure genius, with a hypnotically sustained line in the lead-back to the opening theme; and behind the poker-faced exterior of the finale it is clear that he is not deaf to Haydn's humour but has merely chosen not to make the already obvious even more so.Chopin's Fourth Scherzo takes wing in flurries of quick-fire passagework, contrasted with aristocratic roundness of tone in the lyrical interludes – a performance strong on fantasy. In the Third Ballade I think Harris Goldsmith is right to hear Rachmaninov's famous interpretation behind Richter's sudden spurts; yet what a fabulous sense of overall logic embraces these flights of fancy. His Rachmaninov Preludes again showcase his wonderful singing tone. The B minor is tonally seductive, yet fiercely determined in the central section, and the G sharp minor is irresistibly evocative of water running down the window-panes of a secluded dacha.Richter's notoriously impatient dash through Jeux d'eau is the kind of thing that earned Harold Schonberg's strictures on what he and other Soviet musicians at the time had to learn from contact with the West. (Schonberg's essay, printed in the RCA booklet, is a more subtle piece of journalism than any short summary could suggest.) But 'La vallée des cloches' is wonderfully sultry and evocative, as well as pin-point precise.The second disc is simply riveting. A Prokofiev Sixth Sonata flung in the face of anyone who would accuse its composer of superficiality (and there were many such opinions flying round at the time) is followed by pairs of Visions fugitives, tossed as tantalizing morsels to an insatiable audience, as are the Newark encores from two days later. It would be astonishing if any of these performances were to surpass the many Richter alternatives currently available; but they do represent him at close to his phenomenal best, and to be able to share in such historic occasions makes this new issue especially treasurable. David Fanning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving, Vivid Sense of Hearing Richter in Concert, September 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Richter Rediscovered: Carnegie Hall Recital 1960 (Audio CD)

A fascinating release indeed-- Sviatoslav Richter, the great Russian pianist, playing during his American debut in 1960. This two-CD set documents the Carnegie Hall recital of December 26, 1960, complete with the many encores offered from that occasion and those from his program of December 28, in Newark's Mosque Theater. The release features superbly clear and dynamic "24/96" sound. The few selections that were previously found on a long out-of-print RCA LP are now heard in superior sound. The rest of the selections will be new even to many "seasoned" Richter collectors. One must bear in mind before buying that Richter himself was never satisfied with his playing during this 1960 American tour, and certainly a sampling from his vast discography will turn up more focused performances of many of these works, albeit in lesser sound. Yet, one still finds great value in this playing which balances poise with daring intensity, poetry with shattering power, and an elegance of true rarity. Haydn and Chopin selections from the first disc feature highly idiosyncratic interpretations. Particularly noteworthy is the intimacy of the Adagio from the Haydn, or the forward direction of the Chopin Scherzo. The Rachmaninov Preludes are regal, and are colored with somber, uncanny sense of timing. The Ravel pieces are brief examples of Richter's original approach which is not shy of dynamics, fluidity, and shadings. Disc two features an energetic Prokofiev Sixth Sonata, and the encores. A listener to this disc can share in the palpable excitement of the audience (note how between some selections, members of the audience silence others with "shh!" or at one point how a lady calls out "Thank You!" in Russian before Richter launches into a Prokofiev encore). The encores are miracles of versatility and characterization, as in the Debussy "Les Collines d'Anacapri." The final three Chopin encores show Richter at his poetic and communicative best. The overall excitement and sense of occasion is well-captured on this beautifully packaged release. The sound is immediate and intimate, though has surprisingly little of Carnegie Hall's warm acoustic ambience. Hopefully RCA will continue this highly-recommended tribute to a great artist with a follow-up release of more "Rediscovered" material.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another breakthrough release!, September 27, 2001

By 

G. Dillard (New York City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Richter Rediscovered: Carnegie Hall Recital 1960 (Audio CD)

The only question is; why did it take so long!!! The
sound quality, the piano and urgency of performance
make this recording a "must-have" for Richter and
Classical fans! Here we have a Richter who is just
becoming used to America after a series of amazing
recitals. While being "red-hot" in Prokofiev, he
lays on the "humor" and delicacy of Hadyn while
giving us the "drama" and passion of Rachmaninov and
Chopin. This is Richter at some of his most inspired
if not best playing! The variety of compositions on
these two discs also give a well rounded view of Richter's
versatility! What a musician!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overwhelming, December 2, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Richter Rediscovered: Carnegie Hall Recital 1960 (Audio CD)

This album should be titled "Richter Discovered." I have many of his recordings--all the Phillips collections and various live recitals among them--but nothing approaches this. "Powerful" is such a worn-out word for describing performances (performances much less powerful than this), but it will have to do for starters. And everything, everything is wonderful beyond belief--from the first notes of the Haydn you know you're in for something special. I've never heard those Chopin pieces played with such ability to evoke emotion in the listener. The Rachmaninov superb; the Prokofiev out of this world. Well, this babbling on is ridiculous. Words can't do this recording justice. You simply must experience it.