Richter's Schubert Sonatas - a Review
gperkins151
of Schubert sonatas. I decided to start with D 960 and work my way
backwards through the sonatas. I spent yesterday morning with 5
recordings of Richter's Schubert D 960. All are live except the
Salzburg:
1. Moscow 1957 on Parnassus
2. Moscow 1961 on Brilliant Classics
3. Aldeburgh 1964 on Living Stage
4. Salzburg 1972 on Regis (studio recordiing)
5. Prague 1972 on Praga
The first thing I did was listen to the first minute of each one to
get a sense of the sound. Except for the Praga, they have all been
noticeably filtered, thus blemishing Richter's tone. Since in
Richter's hands, this work relies so much on beauty of tone,
especially in the first two movements, I listened to the Praga first.
The first movement was indredibly moving, Richter's tone sounded
beautiful. The first crescendo surprised me, swelling to an
expressively loud climax, sending shivers down my spine. Richter's
playing throughout was focused and captivating. His second movement
conveyed a beautifully calm and serene mood. The concluding two
movements provided a perfect balance to what had come before. The
intensity of the finale was particularly impressive, even if the
occasional outbursts seemed somewhat out of place. All in all, this
was a rich and rewarding experience.
I then compared the Praga to the three other live versions that I
have. The 1964 Living Stage Aldeburgh performance was good, but the
aforementioned filtering issues, coupled with the intrusive audience
noise limited my enjoyment of it. The piano was better recorded on
Brilliant, 1961 Moscow, but again the audience noise intruded. The
playing of Richter seemed less focused as well. The second movement
improves on this a bit and the concluding two movements bring an extra
does of excitement. In all, a good performance but not as good as the
Praga. Finally I listened to the earliest version I have, the 1957
Moscow on Parnassus. This one actually had the most filtering of any
of these, something I found disappointing because the interpretation
was a bit different than the others. The first movement was played two
and a half minutes slower than the Prague performance and was focused
and straightforward, but also less moving. The filtered sound really
hampers the slow movement, with the piano sounding as if it were
recorded down the hall from the listening position. The third movement
was swift, but also muddy. Overall, just not a great recording.
Then I compared my only studio version, Salzburg 1972 on Regis, of
this work by the pianist to my front runner, the Prague 1972. Recorded
only as month or two apart, I thought this would prove to be an
interesting comparison. The Salzburg had the benefit of almost no
noise on the recording (certainly no audience noise here), though the
reverberant hall was not the best choice of venue. The performance of
the first two movements was good, but lacked some of the poetic
qualities I enjoyed in the Prague. The finale also did not have that
live performance energy and suffered because of it. Moreover, the
reverberant sound often muddied up the imaging, making Richter's
playing less clear. Still, it was my overall second choice, with the
Prague being the clear winner.
HvT
"gperkins151" <gperk...@yahoo.com> schreef in bericht
news:5fe3e79e-8e31-41c6...@e3g2000vbe.googlegroups.com...
Thanks for an interesting review!
Henk
gperkins151
> "gperkins151" <gperkins...@yahoo.com> schreef in berichtnews:5fe3e79e-8e31-41c6...@e3g2000vbe.googlegroups.com...
My pleasure. I know that the Aldeburgh is popular around here, so I am
curious how my opinion of that one is going to go over.
I plan to do D 958 today. I don't have the third performance listed on
Trovar, Szeged 1972, but I have the other two. The Budapest I have in
two incarnations, the M&A and the Living Stage.
Bob Lombard
> I thought it would prove interesting to survey Richter's performances
> of Schubert sonatas. I decided to start with D 960 and work my way
> backwards through the sonatas. I spent yesterday morning with 5
> recordings of Richter's Schubert D 960. All are live except the
> Salzburg:
>
>
> Then I compared my only studio version, Salzburg 1972 on Regis, of
> this work by the pianist to my front runner, the Prague 1972. Recorded
> only as month or two apart, I thought this would prove to be an
> interesting comparison. The Salzburg had the benefit of almost no
> noise on the recording (certainly no audience noise here), though the
> reverberant hall was not the best choice of venue. The performance of
> the first two movements was good, but lacked some of the poetic
> qualities I enjoyed in the Prague. The finale also did not have that
> live performance energy and suffered because of it. Moreover, the
> reverberant sound often muddied up the imaging, making Richter's
> playing less clear. Still, it was my overall second choice, with the
> Prague being the clear winner.
That's a good study, but it needs one more step. wait a few days. then
listen to the Praga second, with as little prejudice as you can manage.
Maybe even listen to the 1st Afanassiev(sp) recording, then the Praga an
hour or so later. Those slow movements require intense focus, and tend
to wear me down.
bl
gperkins151
Time for another installment in Richter's Schubert Sonatas. Moving
backwards through the repertoire, we arrive at D 958, as Richter chose
not to record D 959. I have read that he explains the reason for this
in International Piano Quarterly (Fall 1997), which I believe quotes a
book, but I have not seen or read either. If anyone has read this or
has a transcript, I'd love to hear more about it or, better yet, read
it.
D 958
Salzburg 1972 (Regis) – Overall a wonderfully subtle and introverted
performance. The piano sound is rich and full, requiring only a bit of
treble boost to sound great. Richter’s playing is confident and
expressive without sounding harsh. He turns in a typically focused
performance. The first movement and especially the second has a number
of beautifully tranquil passages that are conveyed well by the
pianist. A palpable tension is present throughout, but is only hinted
at, except for a few explosive moments. The slow movement is
mysterious, tender and stern. These contrasting elements work
wonderfully in Richter’s hands. The third movement is pleasant, but
the rhythms sound a bit limp. Richter plays again with great subtlety
and authority in the finale. Rather than try to set speed records, he
impresses with his ability to sustain the drama of the music by
varying the intensity of his playing. As with the early movements, the
tension bubbles below the surface, occasionally appearing at key
moments, only to submerge again. I don’t think this is the best that
the pianist has played this work, but it is the best one that I have
heard.
Budapest 1958 (Living Stage, M&A) – If Salzburg was the introverted
Richter, then Budapest is surely the extrovert side of the pianist.
From the opening measures, it is clear that Richter saw this work at
the time as being urgent, more like Beethoven than Schubert. The first
movement is played in an incredibly raw fashion, with phrases tumbling
into the next with more concern for drama and power than beauty. The
cold but fully audible sound tended to underline this point. I chose
the Living Stage release for this performance, as it is a clearer
transfer, with less filtering. In the second movement, things slow
down nicely and the tranquil mood provides a nice contrast to the
first movement. However, the audience noise and recording noise
spoiled this mood for me. The third movement had a lovely dance feel,
with rhythms much more taut than the later Salzburg recording.
Richter’s rhythms in the finale absolutely amaze. The drama that is
created by his technical wizardry here is infectious. Overall, while I
certainly recommend this recording, I prefer it’s Slazburg
counterpart, for I prefer my Schubert to be played with more
subtlety.
alla...@mac.com
> Moving backwards through the repertoire, we arrive at D 958, as Richter
> chose not to record D 959. I have read that he explains the reason for
> this in International Piano Quarterly (Fall 1997), which I believe quotes a
> book, but I have not seen or read either. If anyone has read this or
> has a transcript, I'd love to hear more about it or, better yet, read
> it.
The article is titled "'More Important, Was the Audience Satisfied
with Me?': Conversations with Sviatoslav Richter", excerpted and
translated from the book Musiker im Gesprach: Sviatoslav Richter.
There's a short section of the article titled "Introducing Schubert".
All he says about D. 959 is "I don't want to play the big A major". No
reasons why are given.
He does say that the Sonata in G major [D. 894] "is the one I love
most". He also notes that "As far as I know I introduced these works
to Russia", thus explaining the section's subtitle.
I enjoyed your comments on Richter's D. 958 and agree with your
conclusions. Trovar, btw, lists another Richter D. 958 from Szeged,
1972, on Doremi. I haven't heard that one.
Allan
gperkins151
Thanks very much Allan!
I wonder if that Doremi is an audience tape?
I also wonder if the Original Olympia CD of the Salzburg D 958 sounds
better than the Regis. Has anyone compared the two?
George
gperkins151
> most". He also notes that "As far as I know I introduced these works
> to Russia", thus explaining the section's subtitle.
I absolutely love his interpretation of this work. Sure makes sense
that his love of this work would make his performance something extra
special. I have the two performances listed at Trovar of this work,
Moscow 1978 and London 1989. I very much look forward to reviewing
them for this survey.
gperkins151
Today I listened to the two performances listed over at Trovar of D
894 by Schubert-
Moscow 3 May 1978 (Brilliant Classics) – This was my first encounter
with Richter’s Schubert and it won me over the first time I heard it.
You might say I imprinted on it. The depth of performance is
impressive, with a first movement that is epic in the hands of the
pianist. Unfortunately, it was recorded under less than ideal
conditions, using what sounds like fairly close microphones in a very
reverberant hall. The reverb enhances the performances throughout much
of the slow movement, adding a mysterious quality to an already
ominous performance. However, as the sonata moves on, this effect
begins to blur the images as the notes get closer together. There are
some splendid moments, especially the sunlight evoked by the start of
the second movement. The playing could have been more refined however,
and the close recording limited the dynamic range of the sound, thus
limiting the dramatic effect of the dynamic shifts. All in all, a very
good performance that was unfortunately not helped by the conditions
under which it was recorded.
London 20 March 1989 (Philips) - The recorded sound here is
spectacular, microphones were placed far enough away to capture the
full dynamic range of Richter’s performance. Thankfully, the audience
is well behaved as well. Richter’s playing here is beyond words, so I
won’t say very much. The first movement is played like a gentle dream
punctuated by nightmarish episodes that startled me, but in a good
way. The second and third movements continue in this fashion, Richter
plays a heartfelt performance with great focus and if the occasional
outbursts are a bit loud, it only adds to the epic nature of his
interpretation. The finale is a delight, played in a beautiful,
aristocratic style. The understated ending is soft, yet powerful. I
found out today that this was the pianist’s favorite Schubert sonata
and by the way he plays it, I am not surprised. This is truly
incredible performance and one that I will revisit and treasure for
years to come.
alla...@mac.com
> London 20 March 1989 (Philips)
Trovar hasn't been updated for 2 yrs, so it doesn't show that this
performance (along with D. 575 & D. 840) has been reissued by Decca in
2007 as part of the "Richter the Master" series.
Richter's conception of the opening mvmt is extremely broad, as with
his D. 960. It runs to something like 27 minutes! Intense, but an
acquired taste, I'd say.
Btw, my personal favorite recording of this sonata is Sokolov's live
performance from Helsinki.
Allan
gperkins151
> On Jan 19, 3:12 pm, gperkins151 <gperkins...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > London 20 March 1989 (Philips)
>
> Trovar hasn't been updated for 2 yrs, so it doesn't show that this
> performance (along with D. 575 & D. 840) has been reissued by Decca in
> 2007 as part of the "Richter the Master" series.
Yes, thanks for posting that. The Master CD is the one that I own,
actually. I wonder why Trovar has not been updated in awhile. I once
found another discography (more complete) online, but I never
bookmarked it. Anyone know about this one? It lists all the "PT"
recordings, along with the released ones.
Steve Emerson
<c3b606d8-2b8f-437a...@r22g2000vbp.googlegroups.com>,
gperkins151 <gperk...@yahoo.com> wrote:
This?
gperkins151
> In article
> <c3b606d8-2b8f-437a-b771-e729f32a9...@r22g2000vbp.googlegroups.com>,
>
> gperkins151 <gperkins...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > On Jan 19, 5:42 pm, allan...@mac.com wrote:
> > > On Jan 19, 3:12 pm, gperkins151 <gperkins...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > > > London 20 March 1989 (Philips)
>
> > > Trovar hasn't been updated for 2 yrs, so it doesn't show that this
> > > performance (along with D. 575 & D. 840) has been reissued by Decca in
> > > 2007 as part of the "Richter the Master" series.
>
> > Yes, thanks for posting that. The Master CD is the one that I own,
> > actually. I wonder why Trovar has not been updated in awhile. I once
> > found another discography (more complete) online, but I never
> > bookmarked it. Anyone know about this one? It lists all the "PT"
> > recordings, along with the released ones.
>
> This?
>
> http://www.doremi.com/sr.html
Yes!!
Thanks Steve!
gperkins151
> Btw, my personal favorite recording of this sonata is Sokolov's live
> performance from Helsinki.
>
> Allan
I am happy to have Sokolov's D 959 in the absence of one by Richter.
Misha
> On Jan 19, 8:39 am, gperkins151 <gperkins...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > I thought it would prove interesting to survey Richter's performances
> > of Schubert sonatas. I decided to start with D 960 and work my way
> > backwards through the sonatas. I spent yesterday morning with 5
> > recordings of Richter's Schubert D 960. All are live except the
> > Salzburg:
> > 4. Salzburg 1972 on Regis (studio recordiing)
<snip> Overall, [...] I prefer its Salzburg
> counterpart, for I prefer my Schubert to be played with more
> subtlety.
Richter's **Notebooks and Conversations**, Bruno Monsaingeon 2001. On
p. 195, Richter has this to say about the Innsbruck recording of the
Sonata in C minor and the B flat major: "These recordings of mine of
two of Schubert's posthumous sonatas have more good points than bad
ones, especially the first movement of the B flat major, which, in my
own view, adopts and maintains just the right tempo from start to
finish."
Sam
Does that book have anything on why he wouldn't touch D959?
alla...@mac.com
> On Jan 19, 5:42 pm, allan...@mac.com wrote:
> > Btw, my personal favorite recording of this sonata is Sokolov's live
> > performance from Helsinki.
>
> I am happy to have Sokolov's D 959 in the absence of one by Richter.
Sokolov has only recorded D. 894 and D. 960. I was referring to the
former. For D. 959 my favorites are Schnabel (historical) and Lupu
(modern).
Cheers,
Allan
gperkins151
Right, he hasn't formally recorded 959, but tapes have circulated of
at least one live performance of it.
I keep hearing about Lupu in 959, I need to get that Decca Schubert
set by him that came out awhile back.
George
rk
comparison few months ago and ended liking Brilliant and Praga
versions equally. I´m waiting for your D.958 review.
As for Sokolov and D.959, yes, it is phenomenal (I heard it live and
also have the tape). For some reason I don't like his D.894 or D.960
at all.
rk
alla...@mac.com
> Right, he hasn't formally recorded 959, but tapes have circulated of
> at least one live performance of it.
Thanks for that info.
> I keep hearing about Lupu in 959, I need to get that Decca Schubert
> set by him that came out awhile back.
It's a great set, well worth acquiring.
Allan
alla...@mac.com
> As for Sokolov and D.959, yes, it is phenomenal (I heard it live and
> also have the tape). For some reason I don't like his D.894 or D.960
> at all.
I don't care a whole lot for his D. 960, but I consider the D. 894 to
be very special and one of his finest recordings. Would love to hear
the D. 959.
YMMV,
Allan
rk
alla...@mac.com
> On 20 tammi, 17:22, allan...@mac.com wrote:
>
> > Would love to hear the D. 959.
>
Many thanks, rk! Can't wait to hear it...
Allan
alla...@mac.com
reactions. First, a quick thanks again to rk for posting those links.
One notes immediately Sokolov's trademark big, burnished "golden"
tone--kind of Gilels+, if you will, that sort of "musical thunder".
(And in an interview I recall Sokolov named Gilels as the pianist he
heard in person who had influenced him most. Not hard to discern
that.) The opening is "deliberate", and throughout the sonata the
accents and dynamic contrasts are bold, unsurprisingly the largest
I've heard in any recording of this work. In one spot, the end of the
Scherzo, I felt they bordered on self-parody; but maybe I just need to
become accustomed to this interpretation.
Sokolov is stunning in the 2nd mvmt outburst, his thunderous tone used
here to maximal effect and the trills that help usher in the
"catastrophe" suitably menacing, like venomous serpents uncoiling,
with ever-increasing shades of volume. (Sorry if that gets a little
fanciful!) I did miss the wonderful strumming effects and massively
punctuated chords of Lupu's interpretation just before the segue back
to the (subtly altered) opening material. The outer sections of this
Andantino, though, are as bleak and plaintive as can be in Sokolov's
hands. He really makes his slow tempo selection here--the slowest I
believe I've heard--compelling. I immediately encored this mvmt.
He holds together the diverse material of the finale in a remarkable
way. Each theme is thoroughly "characterized", making for bold
contrasts, esp. when they all come back for a final bow at the end;
but the result is what you might call unity in diversity (a metaphor
for the day, eh). The conclusion is the most powerful and satisfying
I've heard.
The other versions I've lived with most through the yrs are Schnabel
(not technically perfect but pioneering and musically deeply
satisfying; sure to be a reference as long as people care about such
things); Pollini (icy-perfect and devastatingly effective); and Lupu
(warmer, big-pawed, probably my favorite overall, at least up to now).
D. 959 is, btw, my own favorite Schubert sonata. I'll need to live
with the Sokolov for a while and do some direct comparisons to
determine its place in this "pantheon"; but that it merits a spot is
assured. My appreciation for Sokolov's immense art has been further
enhanced.
Allan
gperkins151
Do you know if this ever circulated in a lossless format?
gperkins151
I did it above already, but I don't know how to link to it so I'll
post it again:
D 958
Sam
Thanks but I found the performance commonplace. There must be at
least 50 recordings of this. I would imagine that Gilels or Richter
would have played it much faster. I would like the first movement to
go at a tempo like Beethoven's Hammerklavier. The finale should have
more pizzazz. Played at Sokolov's tempo, the sonata is of hellish
length.
alla...@mac.com
> I would imagine that Gilels or Richter would have played it much faster.
Why? Richter played incredibly slow versions of D. 894 and D. 960
(much slower than Sokolov and exceeded only by Afanassiev). And Gilels
has the slowest slow mvmt for D. 850 (the only of Schubert's last 5 he
recorded) I've encountered.
ADB
rk
> Do you know if this ever circulated in a lossless format?
No, but you could always try asking in Yahoo Sokolov group. I read
somewhere that a lot of Sokolov recitals are taped and he more or less
categorically declines to let them be published. Few artists are in
that kind of position. He pretty much tours same places every year,
often small towns, packing every hall with even slightest hint of a
recital. Playing what he likes and where he likes, with his notebook
of different pianos. Not that he is obsessed with pianos like
Michelangeli, quite the contrary (my piano tuner tunes pianos for his
recitals here).
As for Sokolov's tempi, I agree that he plays a bit slow finales in
some of Schubert or Beethoven sonatas. But for some reason he makes
them work.
And thanks Allan for the D.958 review, again I share your view
completely.
rk
Sam
When I think of heroic Schubert, which gets my adrenalin up, I recall
Richter in D850 and Gilels in D784 or his heaven storming Moment
Musicaux #5. D 894 and D960 are naturally slow, reflective music.
D959 should be played heroically, IMHO.
alla...@mac.com
> When I think of heroic Schubert, which gets my adrenalin up, I recall
> Richter in D850 and Gilels in D784 or his heaven storming Moment
> Musicaux #5. D 894 and D960 are naturally slow, reflective music.
> D959 should be played heroically, IMHO.
Okay, those are good exs., but there's a lot more to interpretation
than selecting a tempo. To me, Sokolov's playing almost always has a
"heroic" scale, regardless of tempo.
Allan
alla...@mac.com
of D. 850 from 1956? It might be interesting to throw Gilels in there
as a point of reference...
Allan
maready
> On Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:28:33 -0800 (PST), allan...@mac.com wrote:
> >On Jan 20, 6:38 pm, Sam <sa...@nospammy.com> wrote:
>
> >> I would imagine that Gilels or Richter would have played it much faster.
>
> >Why? Richter played incredibly slow versions of D. 894 and D. 960
> >(much slower than Sokolov and exceeded only by Afanassiev). And Gilels
> >has the slowest slow mvmt for D. 850 (the only of Schubert's last 5 he
> >recorded) I've encountered.
>
> >ADB
>
Lilya Zilbertsein's D850 on DG. Her slow movement is somewhere
between 17 and 18 minutes. A real case of Schubert as precursor to
Bruckner. Perverse, maybe, but it's my favorite performance, followed
by Gilels.
maready
> On Jan 21, 11:15 am, Sam <sa...@nospammy.com> wrote:> On Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:28:33 -0800 (PST), allan...@mac.com wrote:
> > >On Jan 20, 6:38 pm, Sam <sa...@nospammy.com> wrote:
>
> > >> I would imagine that Gilels or Richter would have played it much faster.
>
> > >Why? Richter played incredibly slow versions of D. 894 and D. 960
> > >(much slower than Sokolov and exceeded only by Afanassiev). And Gilels
> > >has the slowest slow mvmt for D. 850 (the only of Schubert's last 5 he
> > >recorded) I've encountered.
>
> > >ADB
>
Sokolov 959.
alla...@mac.com
> Gilels' "Con moto" is slow
That's the only thing I "hold against" his performance. Still, it's
magnificent. So is the Liszt Sonata it's coupled with on disc.
> but the slowest I've ever encountered is Lilya Zilbertsein's D850 on DG. Her
> slow movement is somewhere between 17 and 18 minutes.
I knew someone would do this to me. :-)
I'll have to hear the Zilberstein...someday.
Ars longa vita brevis.
Allan
gperkins151
> On 21 tammi, 01:39, gperkins151 <gperkins...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Do you know if this ever circulated in a lossless format?
>
> No, but you could always try asking in Yahoo Sokolov group.
> completely.
>
> rk
Thanks for the Sokolov Yahoo tip.
BTW, I wrote the above reviews on D 958.
George
rk
> Thanks for the Sokolov Yahoo tip.
>
> BTW, I wrote the above reviews on D 958.
>
> George
Yes, I noticed that too. Sorry for my mixup. Sokolov plays D.850 in
this season, by the way.
rk
gperkins151
No problem.
I'd love to see Sokolov play. I wonder if he plays Carnegie Hall at
all. That would be sweet.
George
Bob Lombard
He used to play at university campuses in New York. Seems like I read
that he is avoiding the USA recently - something to do with visas?
bl
alla...@mac.com
> No problem.
I assumed he meant your notes on Richter's D. 958 (not mine on
Sokolov's D. 959) but wasn't 100% sure.
> I'd love to see Sokolov play. I wonder if he plays Carnegie Hall at
> all. That would be sweet.
Don't believe he's played the US much at all. Maybe, like Richter, he
feels uncomfortable here. I had checked his 2009 concert schedule.
Believe it was all European venues, and he was playing Beethoven Op.
2/2 and Op. 27/1 pretty much everywhere.
Allan
rk
Maybe he just doesn't like to travel around the world? He doesn't seem
to aim for high profile career with lots of publicity and recordings.
He seem to be happy touring places not too far away from his home. You
wouldn't believe how small and remote places Sokolov has toured in my
country.
(Allan, your D.959 review was much appreciated, too).
rk
gperkins151
Absolutely! Probably this weekend (maybe sooner) I will do so. I don't
own the Gilels, so I couldn't use it for reference.
George
alla...@mac.com
> Absolutely! Probably this weekend (maybe sooner) I will do so.
Good.
> I don't own the Gilels, so I couldn't use it for reference.
You might want to get this RCA disc at some point. The performance of
D. 850 is really great, and it's coupled with Gilels' terrific studio
Liszt Sonata from New York. (There are also a number of live Gilels
performances of the Liszt out there and one from Moscow on the
Brilliant box.) A quick check, though, shows this disc is now
apparently oop and starting to go for high prices on Amazon. A shame
because I consider it one of the most essential Gilels discs.
And thanks, rk.
Allan
Paige Turner
performances of other Schubert sonatas. I like it while I'm hearing
it, but I am not convinced by his interpretation (as I am when I hear
Schnabel, Kempff or Annie Fischer) in that music.
Best,
pt
Bob Lombard
Back when I worked for a living, and had to get up early, putting on
Richter's D960 after 8PM was contraindicated; I always lost
concentration and fell asleep during the slow movement.
bl
gperkins151
Can I ask you guys how the London 1979 D 784 on BBC is? I have the
Tokyo one from the same year and I want to know if there's much of a
difference between them.
George
Paige Turner
> > Back when I worked for a living, and had to get up early, putting on
> > Richter's D960 after 8PM was contraindicated; I always lost
> > concentration and fell asleep during the slow movement.
>
> > bl
>
> Can I ask you guys how the London 1979 D 784 on BBC is? I have the
> Tokyo one from the same year and I want to know if there's much of a
> difference between them.
Substantially the same interpretation, nothing new to be gained from
the BBC performance, though the sounds is a tad warmer.
Best,
pt
gperkins151
Thanks!
gperkins151
Richter's D 850
Prague 14 June 1956 (Praga) – I also have this performance on Music
and Arts, but the high frequencies are less filtered on this CD, so I
used it for this review. From the opening chord on, it is impossible
to forget that this is early Richter. The percussive tone, the
relentless tension and forward momentum all are characteristic of his
early performances and this one is no exception. At times the drive
was too much and I longed for a bit more relaxed approach. Also, many
of the forte chords just sound too loud. The second movement slows
things down, but not in the sublime way many of his other Schubert
recordings slow things down. His playing is tender and expressive, but
certainly not nearly as profound his later recordings of other sonatas
would later become. The harsh forte chords unfortunately return as
well, this time sounding even more out of place. Third movement brings
us back to the tension and drive of the first movement, with a
delightfully played playful second subject that provided some balance
to the much louder, more boisterous first one. However, the slow
central section revealed the poor health of Richter’s piano and failed
to move me in any way. Thankfully, Richter plays the finale well,
beginning with a charming, light, playful style. However, overall this
performance does not rate highly with me. I sincerely wish that he had
recorded this sonata in the 1960s or 1970s, for I think his playing
style from that time would have been better suited for this sonata.
Moscow 11 August 1956 (Living Stage) – Sounding a bit more rushed and
sloppy than the Prague performance, in worse sound, the first movement
here was a disappointment. Since this is the only other available
performance of this sonata by the pianist, I was hoping for more.
Unfortunately, recorded only two months later than the Prague, it was
more of the same, at least in the first movement. Like the Prague, the
second movement also revealed issues with the tape/piano. The playing
was somewhat better, being more coherent, but still not exactly tender
or profound either. Unfortunately, the sound becomes really distorted
on the forte chords here and in the next movement, making a subpar
interpretation sound worse. The same issue plagues the finale. Overall
I prefer the Prague performance for it’s less rushed and better played
first movement and its better sound.
gperkins151
> On Jan 21, 11:38 am, allan...@mac.com wrote:
>
> > of D. 850 from 1956? It might be interesting to throw Gilels in there
> > as a point of reference...
>
> > Allan
>
>
> Prague 14 June 1956 (Praga) – I also have this performance on Music
> and Arts, but the high frequencies are less filtered on this CD, so I
> used it for this review. From the opening chord on, it is impossible
> relentless tension and forward momentum all are characteristic of his
> early performances and this one is no exception. At times the drive
> was too much and I longed for a bit more relaxed approach. Also, many
> of the forte chords just sound too loud. The second movement slows
> things down, but not in the sublime way many of his otherSchubert
> recordings slow things down. His playing is tender and expressive, but
> certainly not nearly as profound his later recordings of othersonatas
> would later become. The harsh forte chords unfortunately return as
> well, this time sounding even more out of place. Third movement brings
> us back to the tension and drive of the first movement, with a
> delightfully played playful second subject that provided some balance
> to the much louder, more boisterous first one. However, the slow
> to move me in any way. Thankfully,Richterplays the finale well,
> beginning with a charming, light, playful style. However, overall this
> performance does not rate highly with me. I sincerely wish that he had
> recorded this sonata in the 1960s or 1970s, for I think his playing
> style from that time would have been better suited for this sonata.
>
> Moscow 11 August 1956 (Living Stage) – Sounding a bit more rushed and
> sloppy than the Prague performance, in worse sound, the first movement
> here was a disappointment. Since this is the only other available
> performance of this sonata by the pianist, I was hoping for more.
> Unfortunately, recorded only two months later than the Prague, it was
> more of the same, at least in the first movement. Like the Prague, the
> second movement also revealed issues with the tape/piano. The playing
> was somewhat better, being more coherent, but still not exactly tender
> or profound either. Unfortunately, the sound becomes really distorted
> on the forte chords here and in the next movement, making a subpar
> interpretation sound worse. The same issue plagues the finale. Overall
> I prefer the Prague performance for it’s less rushed and better played
> first movement and its better sound.
Review of Richter's Schubert Piano Sonata D 845 (the pianist has only
one commercially released performance of this work)
Moscow 2 March 1957 (Living Stage)[/b] – I also have this performance
on Urania (marked incorrectly as D 850 on the artwork and CD) but the
Living Stage has slightly better sound, so I used that one for this
review. As with the D 850, the D 845 finds Richter in an austere, even
harsh mood. This is not helped by the dry, cold sound evoked by the
recording. Close miking only serves to intensify the harshness of
forte passages, though it does help to capture all of the quiet
moments well in this work. These quiet moments had a great mystery to
them and provided a nice contrast to the more extrovert passages.
Richter seemed to play better as he went on in this work, the second
movement was so much more playful and lighter in mood that one would
swear another pianist had stepped in. The finale was particularly
fine, saving an otherwise marginal performance. Though I am sure that
this is not the greatest recording ever made of this sonata, I do find
it to be recommendable.
gperkins151
> one commercially released performance of this work)
>
> Moscow 2 March 1957 (Living Stage)[/b] – I also have this performance
> on Urania (marked incorrectly as D 850 on the artwork and CD) but the
> Living Stage has slightly better sound, so I used that one for this
> harsh mood. This is not helped by the dry, cold sound evoked by the
> recording. Close miking only serves to intensify the harshness of
> forte passages, though it does help to capture all of the quiet
> moments well in this work. These quiet moments had a great mystery to
> movement was so much more playful and lighter in mood that one would
> swear another pianist had stepped in. The finale was particularly
> fine, saving an otherwise marginal performance. Though I am sure that
> this is not the greatest recording ever made of this sonata, I do find
> it to be recommendable.
Reviews of Richter's two D 840 recordings:
Paris 19-20 October 1961 (Monitor) – This recording, the earliest of
two that Richter made of this work, was made in a studio in Paris. The
sound is better than I expected, with enough hiss to ensure that the
tapes were not remastered or filtered. Unfortunately the miking was
set up too close, as some of the forte chords distort, but this does
not present a problem for most of the performance. The first movement
begins gently, in a tranquil mood. Richter’s conception of this work
is clear and presented as such. The second movement improves on this,
Richter’s tone is gorgeous and his playing amongst the best of his
Schubert recordings. He chooses, as he does with his later live
recording, to include the two incomplete movements. The third movement
did not come off too well for me, I am not sure if this is the fault
of the composer or the pianist. The finale was much better, with an
extremely catchy rhythm. Richter’s intensity builds until the final
incomplete measures, where he just stops. I found this effect to be
quite sad, though I am grateful that he decided to record the two
incomplete movements.
Salzburg 27 November 1979 – Moving from the studio to a live venue 18
years later, Richter shows a clear difference, not to mention
improvement, in approach. Here he benefits from more distant miking
that is capable of capturing his immense dynamic range and fairly
modern recorded sound. His tempo is slower than his previous recording
in the first movement, in fact over 3 minutes slower, something that
results in progress from his beautiful 1961 recording to this
gorgeously sublime one. In fact, I barely wrote any notes for this
movement, for his playing was spellbinding and his tone was delicious,
captured wonderfully by the engineers. Luckily, the audience was
barely noticeable and was likely as captivated as I was. The second
movement is played at a very similar tempo to the 1961 performance,
but here Richter’s playing is again more special, perhaps a result of
the 18 years of experience that separates them. By turns he is tender,
playful, fierce and joyful, Richter is impressive to listen to here.
In the third movement, he speeds things up by a full minute and a half
compared to his 1961 recording, though it does not sound rushed at
all. The movement comes off much better in fact, sounding more musical
and less repetitive than before. The finale might sound a bit less
technically secure than the 1961 performance, but at this point I
might be splitting hairs. Overall, a superb performance and my
recommendation for the best version of this sonata as played by
Richter. It is currently available in the Master Series on Decca.
gperkins151
Richter's Schubert D 784
Tokyo 7 February 1979 (Regis) – This recording is one of two live
performances available by the pianist. The other, recorded in London,
would come 7 weeks later. The Regis reissue that I have sounds
excellent, with a full, yet slightly veiled piano tone that benefited
from a bit of added treble on my stereo. Richter played the first
movement in a dramatic style, with sharp dynamic contrasts, bold
crescendos and mysteriously beautiful quiet passages. Audience noise
was not an obstacle to my enjoyment. In fact, I barely noticed them.
The central movement was played with a reflective tenderness that
acted as a perfect contrast to the first movement’s tension. The
finale brought a sense of playfulness and joy to the performance. This
is one of those memorable, extra special Schubert Richter
performances.
London 31 March 1979 (BBC) – Compared to its Tokyo counterpart, this
live performance was more distantly miked. This allowed for more
dynamic headroom for the fortes and crescendos, but is also made them
less immediate as well. The effect was like sitting in the back of the
hall on this recording. The sound was less filtered than the Tokyo,
meaning more overall hiss, but clearer piano tone as well. The
conception of the work was very similar, as one would expect. His
timings for each movement were very similar. As the first movement
went on, I missed the impact of the closer Regis recording and thus
didn’t enjoy this version as much. This aspect adversely affected the
next two movements as well. The playing sounded fine, but those
attacks that were so effective in the Tokyo recording were dulled
here.
gperkins151
recordings of Schubert Piano Sonatas. This time it's D 664:
Paris 11-13, 16, 17 February and 11 April 1963 (EMI) – Of the four
available released versions that Richter released of this sonata, this
is the only studio version. It is also the best one, as it captures
Richter’s tone beautifully in a superb performance. The first movement
is played with grace and a refinement usually reserved for later
Richter performances. Everything is in place, no harsh outbursts or
steely tone. This is the type of Schubert playing that led me to
become an avid admirer of Richter’s Schubert performances. The second
movement is played gently and serenely. The finale opens with a breath
of fresh air, with a Mozartian playfulness and energetic style. A
witty rondo, Richter plays this well, emphasizing the differences
found in the contrasting episodes. This performance can be found in
the recently released 14 CD EMI box that compiles all of Richter’s EMI
recordings.
Live performances – Munich 23 July 1978, Tokyo 1 February 1979, London
31 March 1979 – These three are all of very similar conception,
something that they have in common with his earlier studio version for
EMI. The timings for all four are very close, without any significant
variance. The only real difference between them is the sound quality.
The Tokyo recording has a slightly muffled tone, but was recorded with
well-placed microphones, as it captured well the dynamic range and
tone of Richter’s playing. This is best of the three live recordings
and also the least expensive. The London had better tone, but more
tape noise and more audience noise. The Munich had the worst sound,
with distantly placed microphones that did not capture Richter’s sound
as well and also highlighted the audience noise. The performance of
all three is excellent, but the EMI did a better job of conveying the
sound of the piano and the performance and therefore remains my
recommendation of this work by this pianist.
rk
How does this compare to those you listened to?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVyhxOvuSJg
Other parts are there too.
rk
gperkins151
Pretty much the same conception in much poorer sound. Do you know the
dates on that one?
George
rk
Nope, I was hoping you do. From late seventies, perhaps?
rk
gperkins151
Could be, that's when the three live recordings I have were performed.
I am surprised how consistent his approach to this sonata is. Of the
ones that I have reviewed so far, this one is the most consistent.
George
rk
I agree, the differences between D664 performances are very small
(even the EMI from 60's).
BTW, I just came home from Sokolov recital. He played fabulous
Schubert D850. I almost began to like this sonata. Almost.
rk
gperkins151
> More reviews from my ongoing reverse chronological survey ofRichter's
>
> Paris 11-13, 16, 17 February and 11 April 1963 (EMI) – Of the four
> is the only studio version. It is also the best one, as it capturesRichter’stone beautifully in a superb performance. The first movement
> is played with grace and a refinement usually reserved for laterRichterperformances. Everything is in place, no harsh outbursts or
> steely tone. This is the type ofSchubertplaying that led me to
> become an avid admirer ofRichter’sSchubertperformances. The second
> movement is played gently and serenely. The finale opens with a breath
> of fresh air, with a Mozartian playfulness and energetic style. A
> found in the contrasting episodes. This performance can be found in
> the recently released 14 CD EMI box that compiles all ofRichter’sEMI
> recordings.
>
> Live performances – Munich 23 July 1978, Tokyo 1 February 1979, London
> 31 March 1979 – These three are all of very similar conception,
> something that they have in common with his earlier studio version for
> EMI. The timings for all four are very close, without any significant
> variance. The only real difference between them is the sound quality.
> The Tokyo recording has a slightly muffled tone, but was recorded with
> well-placed microphones, as it captured well the dynamic range and
> and also the least expensive. The London had better tone, but more
> tape noise and more audience noise. The Munich had the worst sound,
> with distantly placed microphones that did not captureRichter’ssound
> as well and also highlighted the audience noise. The performance of
> all three is excellent, but the EMI did a better job of conveying the
> sound of the piano and the performance and therefore remains my
> recommendation of this work by this pianist.
Continuing in my reverse chronological survey (of which only D 575 and
D 566 remains) of the officially released recordings of Richter's
performance of Schubert sonatas, today I reviewed D 625:
Munich 23 July 1978 (Victor) – Of the three officially released
performances of this sonata, all of which were recorded live and
within a 8 month span, this one stands out for me as being my
favorite. The other two, Tokyo 1979 on Regis and London 1979 on BBC
Legends, are interpretatively similar to the Munich. However, the
Tokyo suffers from what appears to be excessive noise reduction, as
the piano tone has a displeasing, muffled quality to it. The London
recording does not have this problem, but the audience noises are
heard loudly throughout the performance, plus the overall sound is
thin. The Munich, on the other hand, is a well-engineered recording of
a live performance that only occasionally reveals that it was recorded
in front of an audience. Richter is in top form as well, turning in
one of his classic Schubert performances. He seems to cover the full
range of human emotion in this performance, at times dark, at others
sunny, delicate at one moment, crushing in the next. He uses the
Adagio from D 505 as the third movement and this works well at
providing a brief respite from the tension of the work. He also
chooses to play the outer movements as written, in their unfinished
state. The finale begins rapidly and urgently, a stark contrast to the
movement that preceded it. Richter’s dynamic contrasts here are
immense, building tension in an exciting reading until finally ending
gently. This performance is well worth seeking out. Unfortunately it
is not easy to find. It was released on CD, Victor VICC-60076, in
Japan.
George
her...@yahoo.com
performances among each other (and conclude they are strangely alike),
but also listen with the same kind of attention to other Schubert
performers. Sometimes one may come to very weird conclusions. For
instance, when listening some performances of the 664 one may conclude
Richter's version of this wonderful pieve is just not so fresh and
interesting.
gperkins151
> past few months.
>
> Richter is IMO a really great Schubert player - but his
> interpretations are just too quirky to have as the core of your
> Schubert piano library. What he does is really powerful - but I bet
> it's sometimes very far away from what Schubert intended, and it is
> certainly sometimes very far removed from the performance traditions
> which have grown around the sonatas.
>
> But it's very hard to find good Schubert performances - there's a lot
> of bland rubbish out there.
>
> Here's a list of my favourite Schubert records - excluding the
> Richters. I've also excluded Schnabel. He's very good, maybe the best.
> But it's more fun to make the list excluding him (because it's
> harder!)
>
> 960 --- Fiorentino, Haskil
> 959 --- Sokolov, Brendel live in London
> 958 --- Andsnes, Egorov
> 845---- Haskil, Sirota, Baskirov
> 850 --- Andsnes
> 784 --- Zhukov
> 664 ----Fiorentino
> 537 --- Michelangeli
Thanks for the comments guys, the reason for this thread is because
there are a lot of Richter Schubert performances out there and when I
began collecting them (after being hooked having heard his D 784 on
Brilliant), I couldn't find a survey of this sort that attempted to
review them. Having now obtained all (all the released versions, that
is) of them, I decided to review them all and present my results here,
for those who are interested. In other words, the purpose of this
thread is simply to review all of the Richter Schubert sonata
recordings that I own, for my own benefit and to benefit those who may
be interested in his Schubert but haven't the time/energy/money to
seek them all out.
I would love to see (and participate in) a separate topic created that
surveys all of Schubert sonatas, in which folks pick out their
favorite performances of each. Have either of you considered starting
a topic of this nature?
George
mandryka
>
> - Show quoted text -
Yes -- I should do that!
weary flake
> Here's a list of my favourite Schubert records - excluding the
> Richters. I've also excluded Schnabel. He's very good, maybe the best.
> But it's more fun to make the list excluding him (because it's
> harder!)
>
> 960 --- Fiorentino, Haskil
> 959 --- Sokolov, Brendel live in London
> 958 --- Andsnes, Egorov
> 845---- Haskil, Sirota, Baskirov
> 850 --- Andsnes
> 784 --- Zhukov
> 664 ----Fiorentino
> 537 --- Michelangeli
Fiorentino's 960 on APR recorded 1994? I'll take the recommendation.