Hi,

A newcomer to this list, I'm not sure if I managed to exhaustively
search the topic before posting on this, so please excuse if I'm
repeating what's already been talked about:

At least in my local record store (yes, one is still standing) the copy
of the new 9-CD Richter DGG box set (cat. no. 477 8122 6 that just came
out), just like the recent DGG Martha Argerich solo box set, too, has a
sticker on it claiming something to the effect that all the recordings
included in it have been "newly remastered" for this particular release.

Is that indeed the case? I know some of the earliest (OIBP) remasters
were already quite old, and some (like the Scriabin 5th and the Schumann
op. 12) had never been remastered since their original appearance, in
both cases leaving something to be desired in sound quality, but I'd be
surprised if at DGG they went through the trouble and indeed refurbished
all the tapes in these tough corporate-math times... Some of them were
not bad at all in sound quality as they were to begin with.

Could someone confirm whether this is the case? And how the "new"
remasters (if indeed such they are) compare, if comparison is possible,
to the older ones. I'd expect something like greater "brilliance" of the
piano sounds as the fairly "soft" and to contemporary ears a bit "dark"
and dull OIBP engineerings, which to be sure sounded pretty good at the
time, would get a bit newer 96/24 facelift.

Wondering, in other words, if the box set is worth getting for the sound
improvement alone (I already have the earlier issues of all these
recordings).

Thanks a lot and greetings from the Northern summer.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi,

To my ears, the sound in this DGG box is identical to the sound on the
older individual CDs. Some had been remastered as the
OneBitOriginalImage version, while some were really old. The only thing
remastered for this DGG box is the company's wallets.

In a similar vein,  EMI agreed with me that their ART remastering was
excellent, but said that they would not use this method of remastering
for entire box reissues as it is too expensive. I commend EMI for their
truthfulness.

Good listening,

Morton Linder

The Richter web site now has a search box on the front page:
http://trovar.com

Results are limited to the trovar.com site.

Paul Geffen wrote:
>
>
> The Richter web site now has a search box on the front page:
> http://trovar.com <http://trovar.com>
>
> Results are limited to the trovar.com site.
>




Hi Paul,

Great move. Thanks a lot. Your efforts and skill are really appreciated.

Regards,

Mort Linder
>
>
>
[ Work is currently underway to move all the information on the Richter site
into a database.  This will make it possible to have, for example, links from
the Composer pages to (new) Album pages. ]

Just like Mort, I really appreciate your search engine. Thank's much Paul.

Regard's, Tom Brannigan / Googleville, CA

Richter's Hammerklaviers - which one is the must have?
Praga, BBC Legends or Stradivarius?
Thanks for your insights!

I have all three and prefer the Stradavarius

About a year ago, I spent a lot of time comparing the three recordings of the
Hammerklavier by Richter to try to answer this exact question -- which one did I
consider to be the best?

My conclusion was that the BBC Legends recording from Aldeburgh is the best
Richter Hammerklavier and the Praga is the second best, but very close.

Both of them were definitely superior to the Stradivarius, especially in regard
to the first and second movements.

Of course, the BBC recording is far more easily available. The Praga is almost
impossible to obtain. And the BBC recording includes the Op 2 No 3 sonata and
six bagatelles in addition to the Hammerklavier. However, my evaluation of the
three recordings was based only on the Hammerklavier recording, not the filler
items or the question of availability.

Dick Mathisen

I too consider the BBC Hammerklavier to be be a very unique event. When all of
Slava's concentration was focused at the task at hand. The fugue is
transcendent. A very special performance indeed. I consider it my reference to
all other Op.106 performances. I keep going back to the fugue. It's
unbelievable!!

Tom Brannigan

Hello,
The Stradivarius!  To me it is the slow 3rd movement, the Adagio
Sostenuto-Appassionato e con Molto Sentimento,  which makes this Sonata, not the
fugue.  In the Stradivarius version (which is a recording of a performance in
England) Richter keeps up the tension over 18 minutes and plays this part almost
unbearably beautifully.  Better than anyone else I have heard and better than
his other recordings of the same sonata (which I have, and appreciate).

CES

I found in among my Richter LP collection one with his readings of Beethoven's
op. 26 and 57. This Italian Fabri Editori by RCA 1980 licenced LP has a jolly
good sound quality, not to mention the superior readings but not a word about
the recording year. The recordings are made in a studio.

I would be gratefull for information on the recording year. I guess it is from
60s or early 70s, but which year and which venue?

Bestest

Antti Sairanen

Melodiya is going to release a CD containing Preludes Livre II and Suite
Bergamasque never released on CD before.
Maybe they are from 1967 and 1964.

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3641642

And for Antti:
He recorded those works in New York on October 29th and 30th 1960 in studio.

Best,

Erkki

Hi Antti,

They are most probably the items recorded by RCA in November 1960 in
Webster Hall, N.Y.C..

Good listening,

Mort Linder

I would think these are the same as appeared on RCA in the US recorded at
the time of the first US tour...Joel Stein

--- In sviatoslavrichter@yahoogroups.com, "genlarus" <erkki.valsta@...> wrote:
>
>
> Melodiya is going to release a CD containing Preludes Livre II and Suite
Bergamasque never released on CD before.
> Maybe they are from 1967 and 1964.
>
> http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3641642
>


Thanks very much for the info!

Any idea if this CD will be released in the United States? I have seen a number
of Melodiya titles come back to a local store that I frequent.

George

Hi,

I do not remember the firm's name, but Melodiya now has a Canadian
importer/distributor.

Mort Linder

The Richter web site now includes a Wiki:

http://www.trovar.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Richter/Richter

There is very little content so far.  Please let me know if you would like to
contribute.

- Paul

According to Melodiya's live journal
http://melody-su.livejournal.com/2009/07/02/ (in Russian)
this CD includes broadcast recording from the Great Hall of the Moscow
Conservatory:

I.   Suite Bergamasque (1-4), June, 5, 1979;
II.  Preludes, Livre I (5-8), 1961-(5, 7-8), October, 10, 1976-(6):
             1. Danseuses de Delphes (Dancers of Delphi): Lent et grave
             3. Le vent dans la plaine (The Wind in the Plain): Animé
             9. La sérénade interrompue (Interrupted Serenade): Modérément animé
            11. La danse de Puck (Puck's Dance): Capricieux et léger
III. Preludes, Livre II(9-20), May, 26, 1967.

Sincerely, Yuri,
Haifa, Israel.

Thanks to all of you, not least for Erkki with the precise dates.

I've got happily stuck in Richter's reading of Beethoven's 23rd sonata in F
minor, Op. 57 (as we know it was the publisher who started calling this sonata
"Appassionata") find it very particular and I wouldn't been surprised to hear
the composer applauding, strongly.

I may be wrong, but there is something in this studio recording which  may have
made Richter to say for himself "chto to poluchilos" (something was succesfull),
especially as there is not a word about this recording in his diaries.

Bestest,

Antti Sairanen

Dear Antti,

At 22:52 26-7-2009, you wrote:
>I've got happily stuck in Richter's reading of Beethoven's 23rd
>sonata in F minor, Op. 57 (as we know it was the publisher who
>started calling this sonata "Appassionata") find it very particular
>and I wouldn't been surprised to hear the composer applauding, strongly.
>
>I may be wrong, but there is something in this studio recording
>which may have made Richter to say for himself "chto to poluchilos"
>(something was succesfull), especially as there is not a word about
>this recording in his diaries.

I don't like to repeat myself, but imho this is one of his best
recordings at all.
Though the Moscov live performance (9 June 1960) is not less than the
RCA studio one, the last has a much better sound quality, of course.
Comparing the two, it is quite possible that the RCA-one was recorded
in one take only. So there was no need for the technicians to
complain about wrong notes, nor for Richter about endless repetitions.
And let us not forget the other side of the LP with a perfect op 26.

Greetings from sunny Rotterdam,
Lou

Hello

It is always a pleasure to review that famous sonata.

The Praga is, to me, the best of the three - it has more strength, more panache.

The next is the Aldeburgh and last the London(Stradivarius), rather
disappointing.

The Stradivarius should have never been published commercially to my taste since
it does not represent Richter at his best. Neither do the unreleased versions
(was Richter even aware of them?) that are called PIRATE -

I wonder why Richter even consented to the Stradivarius. He long hesitated. The
last movement (fugue) is the encored version. Lucky enough since the first
playing is not his best.

Nevertheless all these versions are Richterian-rhythm, coherence and a sense of
balance all throughout the work.

Richter played that sonata in Japan in a few recitals along with other two
sonatas in the first part (n°27 and n°28) back in April - May 1974 -

Hunting is therefore opened since I am sure it has been recorded or even filmed
... at least once.

Anyone having a contact in Japan?.?.?

Gérard Moris from Belgium

--- In sviatoslavrichter@yahoogroups.com, "superbemaison" <superbemaison@...>
wrote:
>
> and last the London(Stradivarius), rather disappointing.

Well, as someone who was lucky enough to be there for the Aldeburgh and London
Hammerklaviers I can tell you that to describe the London performance as "rather
disappointing" is nonsense. I have seldom seen so many people thoroughly
transported with joy at any concert I have been to in nearly 40 years of concert
going. My only reservation about the Strad CD is the fact that it didn't include
both performances of the fugue.

Pete .T.

In 1985 Oleg Kagan , whom I knew, brought me the ROCOCO LP with the London
Hammerklavier.  He said that Richter favored the Prague recording against that
one from London. Later I found out however that  Richter spoke of it quite
favorably his notebooks .  On the opposite, the Prague recording  marked by a
few missing bars    seemed to him pretty lame.  A copy of privately taped Moscow
24/5/75 I have from Natalia Gutman

I remember seeing Richter off  at the Kiev railway station on the 10th June
1980.  His train was leaving at 7.40 am. I told him then of my dream to listen
to him performing Hammerklavier. He literally grasped his head with both hands
in shock.
‘What difficult things you want to hear’, he exclaimed. ‘I used to play
it.  I did. It’s one of the most diff… - no, it is the most difficult piece
in all music.’
Here is the list of all dates and places  Hammerklavier was performed by
Sviatoslav Richter:


13/4/74 – Moscow. The Gnesins School.
15/4/74 – Moscow. Moscow University.
19/4/74 – Tokyo.
20/4/74 – Fudzisawa.
22/4/74 – Nagoya.
23/4/74 – Hamamatsu.
30/4/74 – Osaka.
2/5/74 – Osaka.
4/5/74 – Kyoto.
7/5/74 – Kanazawa.
9/5/74 – Nagano.
23/5/75 – Moscow. The Pushkin Museum.
24/5/75 – Moscow. Musical School of the Moscow Concervatory. *
26/5/75 – Ivanovo.
29/5/75 – Brest.
31/5/75 – Krakow.
2/6/75 – Prague. **
5/6/75 – Jena.
7/6/75 – Dusseldorf. Rheinhalle.
8/6/75 – Antwerp. *
11/6/75 – Blyburgh. 28-th Aldeburgh Fest. The Blyburgh Church. **
14/6/75 – Kembridge. King’s college chapel.
18/6/75 – London. Royal Festival Hall (daytime concert). **
28/6/75 – Mele. *
10/7/75 – Gourdon.
12/7/75 – Arle. *



Best wishes,

Yuriy

Hi Lou and group,

With this sonata, Maestro Richter has left us with an embarrassment of
riches, namely  7 different performances on CD. While some are better
than others, they are mostly on a very high plane indeed.

Regards from cold and rainy New York,

Morton Linder

Dear Friends,
     I am most grateful to Yuriy for his listing of Richter
"Hammerklavier" performances. I had always believed that Richter played
this piece in public six times and then abandoned it because of its
difficulties. (Despite that, I believe his performances are the greatest
of the piece I have ever heard.) Seeing all these listings is
fascinating and a revelation.
     Perhaps someday I will obtain a copy of one of the best performances
in good enough sound to publish.
Best,
Leslie Gerber

The Aldeburgh performance took place in Blythburgh church, which is
quite some way from Aldeburgh. I now live just down the road (in my
earlier days as an active contributor to this forum, I lived in
Budapest!) and while it is a magnificent church, I find it hard to
imagine quite where the piano was placed for the Hammerklavier concert.
Pete, do you remember?

Greetings All,

     *   I recently acquired the EMI four CD set of complete Handel keyboard
suites  with Richter and Gavrilov alternating performances.  The whole set
was  delightful, glowing performances by both pianists who (we are told)
turned  pages for each other during the Tours festival performances.  But the
piece de resistance comes at the end of the fourth CD where Richter performs
  the Beethoven Sonata # 17, Opus 31, #2.  I am quite familiar with this
sonata and Richter has often astonished me with the majesty of his playing,
but this performance (Abbey Road Studio, 1961) absolutely stunned me and took
  my breath away.  Such a vision, such phrasing, such tonal  variations!
Any Richter admirer who doesn't own this performance should  get it
immediately, before the Aliens can destroy it.
Still breathless,

Albert

Dear Friends,
     There is no question about Richter and Gavrilov turning pages for
each other when they played the Handel Suites. I have a video of one
suite played by each and the other is there turning pages.
Leslie Gerber

which aliens are you referring to ;-)

the enemies of music and other non religious art are among us... but they are
homo sapiens...

Yes, I do remember where the piano was at the Blythburgh Church concert. Here is
the church from the outside -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Holy_Trinity_church,_Blyhburgh.jpg

We went in through the door at the left which is the back of the church, and the
piano was on a raised temporary wooden stage in front of the altar, which is at
the end on the right in this picture.

This is the view along the length of the church inside, showing the altar at the
end -

http://photos.blythvalley.net/viewimage.php?img=534

I can see why Nick is puzzled, because of the wood work in front of the altar,
which I don't actually remember. The stage must have been built in front of the
wood work, sticking out into the body of church.

I was sitting near the second or third column on the right, and I was looking up
at Richter's face through the piano. The lid was shaking quite a lot during the
concert!

The priest made a short speech before the concert started, and there was a
standard reading lamp next to the piano on Richter's left, which he did not like
and which he moved to the back of the stage out of the way before he started.

At Marcilly-sur-Maulne, both pianists did indeed turn each other's pages. They
also shared a manly kiss at the end of each concert. It was a completely
charming, and truly inspiring set of concerts for the lucky audience members -
one (or rather four) of the highlights of my music life.

Pete Taylor