Schumann: Fantasy in C,Op.17 / Faschingsschwank aus Wien,Op.26 / Papillons

Robert Schumann (Composer), Sviatoslav Richter (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Sviatoslav Richter
• Composer: Robert Schumann
• Audio CD (August 19, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000067DNW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,959 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully poised Schumann, March 31, 2004

By 

klavierspiel "klavierspiel" (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Schumann: Fantasy in C,Op.17 / Faschingsschwank aus Wien,Op.26 / Papillons (Audio CD)

Sviatoslav Richter was a pianistic giant, one of the most admired of a bumper crop of Russian pianists who emerged in the wake of World War II. His concert appearances in the U.S. were not as plentiful as they might have been, due to his own idiosyncracies and the vagaries of the Cold War. It must be said that in his live performances (of which many are available on disc) he could be uneven, occasionally overplaying and crushing the music in the heat of the moment. These Schumann performances are all the more astonishing, then, for their poised musicianship as much as for Richter's signature technical prowess. The latter is of course much in evidence in the all-but-insane tempi for the coda of the second movement of the Fantasy and the finale of "Fassingschwank." But what lingers even more in this listener's ear is Richter's controlled mastery in shaping the arching melodic lines of the opening and closing movements of the Fantasy, some of Schumann's most potently beautiful music, and the unexpected charm and wit of the dozen tiny dances that comprise "Papillons." The sound is not state-of-the-art by today's standards, but perfectly acceptable.

In sum, this is a beautiful, memorable and surprising recording for those used to the Russian pianist's more headlong performances.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richter's Schumann Fantasy is the best out there!, May 29, 2004

By 

Snookie "rksiemers" (HUMMELSTOWN, PA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Schumann: Fantasy in C,Op.17 / Faschingsschwank aus Wien,Op.26 / Papillons (Audio CD)

The Schumann Fantasy is one of my favorite pieces of music written during the 19th Century. I have several recordings of it by such pianists as Rubinstein, Horowitz, Perahia, de Larrocha and this one by Richter.

It is the best one that I've heard, and is one of my favorite recordings from Richter. He draws you into his "biosphere" (to coin a phrase from his protege' Andrea Gavriolv). The virtuosity of the middle movement is incredible, his tempo is absolutely insane, but after all, he IS Sviatoslav Richter! The dynamic control, phrasing and tonal nuance are just sublime. His phrasing lingers on in your heart long after he is finished. Just Beautiful!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars beautiful, November 25, 2006

By 

D. Jack Elliot (Omaha, Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Schumann: Fantasy in C,Op.17 / Faschingsschwank aus Wien,Op.26 / Papillons (Audio CD)

Sviatoslav Richter's artistry fascinates me, because it is intimate and personal at the same time that it is extroverted and aggressive. You'd think those traits couldn't go together, but in Richter's playing they do. His are complex, multifaceted interpretations; he's both muscular and delicate, both athlete and poet.

I see that many of the other reviewers here love the Fantasy; I must confess that I found the piece more difficult than the others at the first hearing, so I'll have to return to it again soon. But the Faschingsschwank and Papillons are gorgeous and captivating, with unforgettable melodic material and extraordinary dramatic character; and again, Richter presents interpretations of a truly legendary caliber: these are the rare, elite sort of readings that add even greater depth to compositions that are already great masterworks.

As this reissue is only $7 new, you're truly committing a crime if you don't pick one of these up.