Sviatoslav Richter Edition, Vol. 3: Schubert: Piano Sonatas No. 16, D.845 & No. 17, D. 850

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

Product Details

• Performer: Sviatoslav Richter
• Composer: Schubert
• Audio CD (March 11, 1997)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Melodiya
• ASIN: B000001HCR
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #534,219 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Pno Son No.16 in a, Op.42, D 845: 1. Moderato

2. Pno Son No.16 in a, Op.42, D 845: 2. Andante Poco Mosso

3. Pno Son No.16 in a, Op.42, D 845: 3. Scherzo. Allegro Vivace-Trio. Un Poco Piu Lento

4. Pno Son No.16 in a, Op.42, D 845: 4. Rondo. Allegro Vivace

5. Pno Son No.17 in D, Op.53, D 850: 1. Allegro Vivace

6. Pno Son No.17 in D, Op.53, D 850: 2. Con Moto

7. Pno Son No.17 in D, Op.53, D 850: 3. Scherzo. Allegro Vivace

8. Pno Son No.17 in D, Op.53, D 850: 4. Rondo. Allegro Moderato

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two unsurpassed readings, especially the quirky D. 845, September 11, 2010

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sviatoslav Richter Edition, Vol. 3: Schubert: Piano Sonatas No. 16, D.845 & No. 17, D. 850 (Audio CD)

Of Schubert's 21 piano sonatas, Richter performed 11, yet almost all are available, with a wide range of locations, dates, and sound quality. Since he was oblivious to what kind of piano he played, there is also a good chance of hitting an instrument that is brittle clattery, clangy, or dull. Those of us who chase down Richter's elusive recordings find it worth the struggle. Here is a prime example, Schubert's sonata in A minor d. 845. I happened to e listening to readings by Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchida, and Maurizio Pollini, all of which succeed in solving some of this work's considerable difficulties -- it moves in the blink of an eye from melancholy lyricism to military flourishes, raw, open chords, and herky-jerky rhythms.

Only when you turn to Richter are these problems not only solved but turned into the very reason for the music to exist--his capacity to grasp the overall intent of the sonata is unearthly. But -- and there's almost always a but -- the close-up sound is Soviet-era mono from March, 1957. In the confines of a tight studio with no ambience, Richter's fortissimo outbursts are hard to endure. I think he intends to disturb and at times terrify us, so the bangy sound adds to the effect. It's an unnerving performance full of defiance; those who dislike Richter's aggressive manner in Schubert won't be happy, even though his undeniable charmisma is present. Nobody can object to the fleetness of the finale, tossed off with Richter's effortless elan.

If anything the d major sonata D. 850 receives an even more heady reading, full of swagger and confidence. It was made in 1956 under the same restricted sonic conditions. the only saving grace is that at least this Melodiya/BMG version comes from the source and has better sound than various pirates and knockoffs. Richter plays the dashing first movement with the force and strength of Beethoven, an approach totally opposite from lace-makers like Radu Lupu and Andras Schiff. Some may feel a loss of delicacy in Richter's approach to the slow movement; it is a bit blunt, as it was in D. 845, also. Sometimes he seems impatient with simply lyrical lines. His nerves are always frayed, so one sympathizes, but does he have to fray ours? The Scherzo is quite fierce. the finale features a tiptoe-through-the-daisies tune that is so childlike you might laugh at it. Other pianists bring out a certain triviality that Schubert didn't intend. Richter adds a touch of tough briskness that I find very effective.

In the end, this is one of the standouts in Richter's Schubert discography if you can adjust to the hard sound--there is far worse in the far reaches of his output, believe me. (There is no other recorded performance of D. 845 by Richter, but there is a live account of D. 850 form the Prague Festival, done in the same summer of 1956 as the studio version.)