Schubert: Piano Sonata, D.958 / Bartok: 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs / Szymanowski / Prokofiev

Schubert (Composer), Bartok (Composer), Szymanowski (Composer), Prokofiev (Composer), Sviatoslav Richter (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Sviatoslav Richter
• Composer: Schubert, Bartok, Szymanowski, Prokofiev
• Audio CD (November 23, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: BBC Legends
• ASIN: B002MT3CNY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294,408 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars white hot Richter pianism, acceptable live mono recording, April 1, 2010

By 

Ivor E. Zetler (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Schubert: Piano Sonata, D.958 / Bartok: 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs / Szymanowski / Prokofiev (Audio CD)

I acquired this live recital recording (Royal Festival Hall 7 December 1970)on the basis of a rave Gramophone review. I can only echo that critic's enthusiasm for the performances. The disc begins with the Schubert Sonata D958 and ends with Prokofiev Sonata No 7, works of composers frequently performed by Richter. Sandwiched inbetween are shortish compositions by Bartok and Szymanowski-rarities in this pianist's repertoire. The Szymanowski "Two Pieces from Masques" sound somewhat like Scriabin's piano music-tough but listenable.

Suffice it to say that the playing heard on this disc represent Richter in top form. His Schubert playing (with reasonably uneccentric tempi) is vigorous; this adjective would actually apply to the general playing in the whole of this recital. The performance of the Prokofiev 7th Sonata (Richter was the dedicatee)is white hot and in the class of Pollini. I am not aware of any other commonly available Richter recording of this work on disc and its appearance here is reason enough to acquire this CD. It is no wonder that the audience responded with wild applause at the end of this piece.

The sound is mono and acceptable although it has a certain hardness and the dynamics are somewhat restricted. The audience is reasonably quiet although there is some discrete coughing to be heard. This CD of an interesting and uncompromising recital would be of great interest to enthusiasts of this great pianist.

5.0 out of 5 stars A priceless memento of a great musical occasion, September 22, 2011

By 

Dr Karl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richter - Schubert, Bartok, Szymanowski, Prokofiev (MP3 Download)

I must confess that this was one of only two times I saw Richter perform live and the appearance of this CD brought not only indescribable excitement but also curiosity to see whether one's memories after 40 years could be relied upon to be accurate. An interesting curio first - 1970 was Beethoven bicentenial and Richter had programmed an all-Beethoven programme of piano sonatas. Shortly before the concert, however, he announced that he had been exhausted with Beethoven that year and changed the programme to the one included here. At the time, my disappointment was very considerable - Bartok has never been a composer I warm to and Szymanowski was then unknown to me. Listening to the music now, I can only say that my memories of one of the greatest nights of music-making I have ever attended are richly borne out. Richter's performance of the Schubert is outstanding, provided, of course, you appreciate the doom-laden qualities that he always invested in this music. The fifteen Hungarian peasant dances by Bartok, light, witty and tuneful come as the perfect antidote. The two pieces from Szymanowski's Masques are a total revelation, while the Prokofiev 7th sonata that concludes the recital, a piece in which Richter was always peerless is probably the greatest of his performances. The sound quality is one to which my ears adjusted quickly, but then such is the quality of playing that (as often with Richter) one concentrates in the message and less in the medium. How lucky we are to have a recording of that life-enhancing musical event!

5.0 out of 5 stars Another amazing Richter recital from BBC archives, August 16, 2011

By 

Scriabinmahler (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Schubert: Piano Sonata, D.958 / Bartok: 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs / Szymanowski / Prokofiev (Audio CD)

This is the live recording of Richter's recital at Royal Festival Hall, 7 December 1970. As with so many of Richter's stereo live recordings from the 70s, the sound quality is below average (fortunately cough-free most of the time except for between movements), but who cares - each performance reveals Richter's incomparable ability to engage in the music as if nothing else exists.

The recital consists of a fascinating repertoire. Schubert's soul-searching late sonata with the tempestuous rendition of final Allegro, followed by mysteriously atmospheric pieces by Bartok and Szymanowski presented in rich tapestries of colours, culminating in the incandescent and utterly devastating performance of Prokofiev's 7th sonata.

If you are not familiar with Richter's live recordings, don't get discouraged by the sound quality. Concentrate on what he is doing with the instrument, it will reveal a totally different world of piano playing. For an old Richter devotee like me, I must thank BBC for digging these precious recordings out of their archives and remastering them.