Schubert - Trout Quintet- Wanderer Fantasy – Sviatoslav Richter ,Borodin Quartet

 

 

Richter and the members of the Borodin quartet, joined by veteran Georg Hörtnagel, recorded Franz Schubert’s "Trout" live in 1980, and EMI has now reissued it on their Redline budget series with Richter's classic "Wanderer Fantasie" from 1963.

It is a fine "Trout", and a very "Richterian" interpretation indeed. Tempos in some movements are unusually slow, though only the Scherzo displays a touch of the deliberate massiveness that characterized Richter's interpretations from the 80s on. In the opening "Allegro" Richter and partners don't particularly mark the accents the way Gilels and Amadeus quartet members do (now on DG "The Originals"), but their playing is crisp and zestful, with a fine sense of balance between piano and strings, and these elicit a deep lyricism and beautiful tone. Likewise, the Andante, taken at a very moderate tempo (it is actually the slowest of the more than twenty I've heard on disc), has an affecting simplicity, some passages of bewitching dreaminess underpinned by beautiful pianissimos, and the deeply-felt viola and cello cantilena at 1:43 has a wistful, quasi-tchaikovskyan feel to it. In the Scherzo Richter and the Borodins go for good-humored bonhomie rather than hectic drive a la Gilels and Amadeus, and their staccato playing has a sprightly bounce; they commendably maintain the same tempo for the trio, giving it a feeling a merry playfulness. The famous "Trout" theme doesn't have the liveliness and carefree character that Curzon and the members of the Vienna Octet imparted to it back in 1957, but the ensuing variations are characterized with all the required charm (var. 1 & 2), insouciant merriment (var. 3), Beethovenian power (var. 4); transitions from one variation to the other are very natural and, rather than maintaining a unity of tempo (Schubert indicates no tempo change except in the coda), Richter and partners give each variation its own tempo, but without exaggerated variance, and the movement's coda is genial and easy-going. The finale is forward-moving and spirited, with a great rhythmic snap.

This has all the hallmarks of a classic.—Discophage

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Sviatoslav Richter-Kleiber - Dvorak Piano Concerto-Schubert Wanderer Fantasy

 

The Dvorák Piano Concerto, dating from 1876, has always been overshadowed by its later and more celebrated, more often performed Violin and Cello Concertos. On the surface it shares non of the glittering showmanship bravura passages of so many other late nineteenth century piano concertos; and its themes do not linger in the memory as indelibly as those in Dvorak's other two concertos. Yet it has that kind of subtle, more restrained beauty and fascination that reveals itself more and more on repeated hearings. A work that has grown beautifully insidiously on this listener. This piano concerto certainly held a fascination for Richter and it was chosen by him, much to the surprise of his many admirers, for a Royal Albert Hall concert given during the heyday of his early celebrity. This recording followed soon after and it demonstrates his affection for the work. He is joined by Carlos Kleiber who did not make excessive numbers of visits to the recording studios but when he did it was often an occasion (One remembers his monumental recording of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony for instance). The collaboration of Sviatoslav Richter and Kleiber lifts this work so that we can fully appreciate its strengths. It is a genial, high-spirited concerto; few shadows cross its path. Folk material is a strong element in its make-up. The long first movement (nearly 19 minutes duration) is consistently delightful with a lovely lyrical main theme that skips and dances along through the movement and reaches a very affecting climax at about 14:36. The Andante is very appealing with its misty, dreamily introspective pages, contrasting with faster more extrovert, sometimes wry, observations. Richter's reading, throughout, is a model of lucidity, poetic eloquence and glittering dexterity.

Schubert's 'Wanderer Fantasy' is monumental and monumentally difficult. Quoting from Bryce Morrison's notes: "Few pianists have been more closely associated with the Fantasie's alpine challenge than Richter, first amongst an élite able to subdue even the most ungrateful difficulties (including a notorious passage in running semiquaver octaves and shuddering tremolandi in the first movement, and final pages which pile Pelion on Ossa) leaving him free to concentrate on Schubert's purely musical quality. Implacable rhythm, a capacity to switch dynamic extremes without any loss of impetus, an almost visceral force and manic propulsion offset by an uncanny conjuring of lyricism and stillness, are merely a few of the characteristics that make Richter a supreme master of the 'Wanderer' Yes, indeed; this performance had me sitting on the edge of my seat in awe and wonder, what more need I say?.—Ian Lace

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Related article

• Kleiber: Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon | Classical CD review (guardian.co.uk)

Handel - Selected Suites - Sviatoslav Richter, Piano

Handel's 1720 Eight Great Suites for keyboard, despite being comparatively neglected in his output, have received many fine and diverse recordings over the years. On piano, Sviatoslav Richter's late-seventies reading of these eclectic and colorful works has long been a favorite...

It is perhaps a sad fact that Handel is now best known for his Water Music and Firework Music. However, previous generations have lauded him for his collection of oratorios and anthems and his contemporaries praised him for his considerable catalogue of operas. Unfortunately his keyboard works hold only a minor place in the Handelian canon. They are rarely performed and are poorly represented in the recording studio. Most of these keyboard works were composed in the composer’s younger days (1710 -1720). It must be remembered that these Suites were extremely popular in the composer’s lifetime even if their stock has fallen since. The program notes quote the following passage from the historian John Mainwaring: "His [Handel’s] gift of composing for a single instrument requires no better evidence than his pieces for the keyboard. The[y] are held in highest honor…’

It is sometimes forgotten that Handel was regarded in his day as being a great virtuoso keyboard player. He had a penchant for improvisation that gained him a great reputation. A large amount of his music for keyboard is believed to have been lost – or was played only once as an extemporization in front of a privileged audience and then forgotten.

Shortly after Handel had settled in London he issued the Eight Suites in 1720 although these pieces appear to have been written over the previous decade. Perhaps with regard to then current fashion, the title page was in French – Suites de Pièces pour le Clavecin, Premier Volume.

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