Customer Reviews

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2; Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 in F Minor "Appassionata"

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In his notebooks, Richter himself tells repeatedly how strongly he disliked this performance of the Brahms Second. Most significantly, he blames Leinsdorf for pushing the tempo all the time. For the rest we have to guess for what his motives could be. After all, it is quite strange that the pianist in what is perhaps the best-loved of all Brahms B flat's doesn't like it himself. What could Richter have had in mind? Perhaps he had even greater ideas for this piece - but as it is here, I cannot possibly imagine. Richter gives probably the pianistically most perfect rendition of the concerto ever made, coupled with a musical insight that most of his colleagues could hardly dream of. And considering Leinsdorf: his accompaniment is very correct and I don't hear him pushing at any time - actually, Richter's playing is so dominant that it is the piano which seems to take the lead in the piece, not the orchestra. And that's fine with me.

I like it better than the also much-revered Gilels/Jochum recording: Gilels takes his time and is philosophizing around, but in the end he almost sinks in his own ideas. Richter's playing on the other hand is full of richness too, but never makes the piece excessively ponderous and storms right at the gates with utmost certainty. Similarly, Richter possesses all the power of a Serkin but avoids the latter's sometimes ugly neuroticism and his patronizing focus on rhythms. He takes about as many risks as Schnabel, but is pianistically more reliable. This all is not to say that we have the perfect recording of the Brahms here: pianists like Schnabel, Fleisher, Arrau, Brendel et al. show many insights for which Richter has no space. But if I were forced to keep just one, it would probably be Richter's (Schnabel is maybe the equal, but less good recorded).

There are many unforgettable moments here: the piano solo before the first orchestral tutti in the first movement blazes with fire and excitement - and complete technical mastery. I've never heard it played as good as here. And then the following piano entry after 3 minutes - Richter's fantastic, illuminating tone and sonorous basses shine through so well here. And then, in the following minutes, we get a demonstration of how to connect phrases almost effortlessly (perhaps this is what the editorial reviewer refers to, although he has come up with his usual nonsense as well). The marcato after 7 minutes once again demonstrates his technical skills, but also an incredible feeling for rhythm and excitement. The tender scenes are just that - and a look forward to the great slow movement. The second Allegro I'd say has the same fury as in Serkin's recording, but Richter is far more flexible and less dogmatic. Richter's approach to the Andante is rock-solid and unfussy; it is wonderful to hear how he is able to play without any mannerisms and yet generate the highest level of expression. In the Allegretto, Richter's sweet but powerful tone again does small wonders; he seems to shape many small and lively episodes within this movement that is sometimes treated as a perfunctory and dull conclusion. Not here; the Allegretto makes the ideal end for this hugely impressive recording.

I haven't spilled a word yet about the Appassionata on this disc, and it should not be left unnoticed that this, too, is a masterful performance. The first movement is boldly shaped, with lots of contrasts in tempi dynamics. However, it perfectly adds up in the end and it betrays that SR had a strong sense of architecture as well. The slow movement is done solemnly and with beautiful tone-coloring. And there's the famous last movement that runs at incredible pace - and still Richter never loses control. Yet good as this one may be, it is completely outshined by a live performance by Richter in Prague from one year earlier - there he drops all his caution and you'll get more passion in the opening, more life in the slow movement and a final that is about the most exciting piano recording made, period. But enthusiastic as I am about even that live performance, the greatest Appassionata on record I believe is by Claudio Arrau (Philips), who is more faithful to the original text and responds best of all to the complex characteristics of this marvelous sonata. So, the recording included here is a nice dessert, but the main thing is definitely that gorgeous Brahms which you just cannot afford to pass by. Here is one of the finest documents of Richter's playing, a must for every classical music fan.

This is a classic among classics. I love Richter's Brahms for the bold, majestic and passionate reading. But if you really want to split hairs, the people who love this recording still must listen to Gina Bachauer with Antal Dorati (on Chesky) and Wilhelm Backhaus with Karl Bohm (on Decca) to realize that Richter's version is not the last word. Take piano tone, Richter is no where near as full bodied as Backhaus. Even Backhaus's phrasing is superior. Taken at a slightly slower pace, Bohm's terrific conducting also add's to the excitement. just to prove my point, play the introduction of Richter's recording and play Backhaus. You'd have to be deaf not to notice the difference of phrasing and touch. The same can be said for Bachauer. The feminine touch is a huge asset to Brahms. Not nearly as masculine as Backhaus, nor too light, but instead, songful and precise. Not to mention, Doati's strings from the Royal Philharmonic sound better than what Leinsdorf or Bohm illicit from their respective orchestra's. Having said all this, you may think I don't enjoy Richter's recording, I do, but I feel that many listeners often place this recording so far up the charts, they are not aware there are some great recordings that sometime surpass the favorites. The Beethoven is another matter. That introduction is taken with such speed, strength and virtuosity, it's almost amazing that Richter can pull it off an convincingly as I do. After hearing Richter, it's really difficult to hear the others, despite some stiff competition from Backhaus (a great recording on Decca) and Horowitz (on Sony.) But this is just my opinion. You may like your Beethoven more gentle and not as aggressive. Yes, I agree that it's appropriate for some of the other sonatas, but Richter's version is the one to own.

I had loved this recording from its appearance back in the 1960s. It was recorded during Richter's first tour of the US at a time when he wasn't very well known here. His tour changed that. I remember the buzz that ran through American music circles like an electric current at that time. I bought the recording then and immediately put it up there with my old Rubinstein and Schnabel recordings, and later the Gilels and Fleischer recordings. But when the change to CDs came (and I owned my first CD player in 1980, if you can imagine) I put it and my other LPs away and set about rebuilding my collection in the new format. Somehow I forgot about the Richter, never replacing it with a CD copy.

Only recently have I become reacquainted with this performance of the Brahms Second Concerto and I've fallen in love with it all over again. It's hard to describe how Richter mesmerizes with his playing, but he does - not always, but often enough that it begins to seem almost like a supernatural talent he has. One thing you always know is that every note is considered in context; there is never anything routine about his playing. And I'm convinced that he had a monumental musical intellect to go with his fantastic technique.

In this recording Leinsdorf is a very sensitive accompanist and the Chicago Symphony give him everything he asks for, especially Robert La Marchina, the superb cello soloist in the third movement; not long after this he left the CSO and became conductor of the Honolulu Symphony. Leinsdorf could be a maddening conductor, unduly fussy at times and at other times rather mechanical. I never quite figured him out, although occasionally his recordings soared. And this is one of those.

I was not familiar with Richter's Appassionata until this CD. It is certainly brilliant, even titanic, but just a bit mannered for my taste. I still prefer the classic Rubinstein recording, although I also like Goode, Kuerti, Gilels and others.

I would not hesitate to recommend this remastering. The sound if just fine. And that Brahms - oh my!

Scott Morrison

What can we add to this performance? Apart of its undeniable virtues, the essence of this version is that Richter is always seeking in every one of his achievements. Try with his two performances of Pictures at exhibition (Spofia and Bucarest) with only a week between the two concerts in 1958.
The discography about the second concert is one of the widest in the main repertoire for the keyboard.
But, however there are so very few fortunate achievements. And Richter prints his skills not only his passionate fire and evil technique, but he illuminates the score. And that's the key why you are able to listen this Symphony with piano obligatto without an atom of indifference.
This work demands an exceptional imagination , due to its length, who doubts about the beauty of the slow movement? Richter walks all along the piece avoiding all kind of effectism, and over all in the last movement , he adds histamina and strong conviction.
Leinsdorff deserves a just mention. Because in every moment he conducts the orchestra with the precise approach of being performing chamber music. This is the clue for getting a happy performing, because if you conduct the orchestra in piano's service, you are taking an inmense risk and probably you get a standard version but never outstanding like this one.

The title says it all, because in this recording, the Brahms concerto comes alive like no other. The Appassionata, however, comes up far short (and I sadly seem to be alone in this, given the number of reviewers who say that Richter's performance here is the best Appassionata ever). To me, though, there seems to be little to no life in this Beethoven performance; just a lot of loud banging with little to no emotional or fiery flare. If you want a good solid performance of the Appassionata, my reccommedation is Walter Klien's version, which comes out like a musical firestorm, just as the Appassionata should--and just as this Brahms concerto does, too. I've listened to several recordings of the Brahms Second Concerto, and I can safely say that Richter easily blew them all away, so buy this CD for the Brahms. You won't regret it for a moment. But if you're looking for a cut-rate Beethoven, you won't find it here.

Unlike David Bryson, most mortals who have been fortunate enough to hear his concerts or recordings revel in the technical and interpretive brilliance of Richter's pianism. There is simply never an inauthentic note. Unlike many virtuosi, Richter would simply refuse to play a piece if he felt he could not add something new to the way it was being played. By contrast with the pedestrian and banal interpretations of the Appassionata by Brendel and Serkin, for example, Richter's simply glows from within. To have heard it is to have one's conceptions about the piece transformed. His intelligence and sincerity allow it to be heard as never before. (I cannot conceive how anyone would think this interpretation is "wrong," much less quote that great music critic Margaret Thatcher, unless he has some weird bias against beauty!) The Brahms concerto, moreover, is not only unified, as some reviewers have it, but lifted conceptually and aesthetically to a new level, above any other performance. Richter's ability to lose himself to the music makes him a remarkable interpreter of every composer he has ever played, regardless of age or style - whether Bach, Prokofiev, Chopin, Beethoven, Liszt, Schumann, Brahms, Moussorgsky, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky or Mozart. Unlike Horowitz (of whom Richter aptly remarked that he had a great technique and a trivial mind), Richter does not infuse the music with his own romantic sensibilities, but brings out its immanent greatness and originality so that its potential is fully realized. This is the opposite of egotism, and the key to Richter's genius. The Richter/Leinsdorf Brahms Second and the Appassionata have no peer for sheer emotional power, intelligence, technical brilliance, structure and scope. The sound is also excellent, especially by comparison with many Richter recordings. Brahms would have loved this recording.

I fell in love with the Brahms Second when I was still very young, and Richter's performance was the one I started with. None I have heard since has lived up to the standard Richter set. Claudio Arrau, for example, sounds hesitant and dissected compared with Richter's blazing technique and superb musicality. The second movement, in particular, cannot be improved upon in any way. Having Richter's amazing performance of the Appassionata on this CD is the icing on the cake; as one reviewer said, he is simply on fire. Particularly considering the mid-list price on this CD, this is a must-have disc in any decent classical collection.

It's a sad fact that Sviatoslov Richter didn't care more about his recorded legacy. What he left are simply incomparable interpretations of pieces from a wide array of composers, but sadly the sound quality in most of the recordings isn't really up to par with the recordings of other pianists of the same era. Luckily, we were left with a few gems that have good sound quality and are amazing interpretations. This disc is one of them. To choose a highlight is easy, it's clearly the Appassionata, a piece that Richter believed must be played at the end of any recital if it is to be played at all; if not, all pieces that came afterwards would seem weak and diminished in quality. I happen to disagree with this statement except in Richter's case, who is really the only pianist on record to play the Appassionata well. In fact, it is my opinion that Richter was the best interpreter of Beethoven this century. If only he recorded a complete cycle, what a prize it would be. The Brahms though, is not one to be outdone. The orchestra and the pianist have a relationship and understanding of the piece unlike any other. They really do make the Brahm's concerto sound new, invigorated and full of life. This disc is an essential for the quality of performance and the price tag makes it a bargain. If you're looking for amazing pianism, look no further, because you've found it.

"Wait until you hear Richter." Those were the famous words of Emil Gilels, one other legendary Russian pianist who recorded Brahms's second piano concerto. And it is Gilels, not Richter, who gets the upper hand on this particular work. This is because a concerto recording involves more than a great soloist-- one must also compare orchestras, conductors, and (as on all discs) the actual recording quality. The Gilels/Eugen Jochum/Berlin Philharmonic partnership on DG, with the excellent "Originals" remastering, makes that recording definitive. However, Richter reigns supreme as far as the soloist's contributions are concerned. Each note is so crisp and clear, and each phrase so freshly organized, Gilels or Barenboim or Ashkenazy just won't sound the same anymore. The Chicago Symphony shows again that it is the greatest orchestra in America. But Erich Leinsdorf doesn't have that inspirational way with the group that Fritz Reiner had, and the "Gold Seal" recording has more hiss and less bass and focus than discs in RCA's "Living Stereo" series. However, for Richter with the CSO, this is essential. The "Appassionata" goes to a whole other realm. I simply have never heard anything like it. Richter's technique is breath-taking, as his two hands seem to be performing as different parts of a large but subtle orchestra. He has the conductor's complete vision. In fact, this version makes me think of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, with the "Fate knocking on the door" motif of the first movement and the huge blows of chords in the third. It is stunning how Richter can get so much from his instrument without pounding, and can play the softer notes so evenly, the trills in particular. For a long time, I have placed Barenboim and Brendel at the very top when it comes to the "Appassionata," but, once again, no other pianist after Richter will ever sound the same.

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