Notes and Editorial Reviews
The first CD begins with a live recording from the 1979 Tours Festival of Handel’s Keyboard Suite No.5 in E, whose finale is known as ‘The Harmonious Blacksmith. After this comes another live recording, this time it is a delightful short piece by Mozart – Andante and Allegretto in C for violin and piano, believed to be intended as movements of an unfinished sonata – in which Richter is joined by the Russian violinist Oleg Kagan, whose career was tragically cut short by cancer. Staying with Mozart, Richter next performs the opening movement of the Piano Concerto No.22 in E flat K482, followed by the third movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.17 in D minor known as ‘The Tempest’. This was the first recording that the Soviet authorities
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allowed Richter to make in the West. Next we hear two works by Schumann: the finale from Faschingsschwank aus Wien (‘Carnival Joke from Vienna’) and the whole of his Piano Concerto in A minor, which has been described as ‘one of the most brilliant jewels in the diadem of Romantic piano literature.’
CD 2 begins with another great masterwork for piano from the Romantic period: Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, which is followed by the delightful Theme and Variations from Schubert’s ‘Trout’ Quintet, in which Richter is joined by the double bass player Georg Hörtnagel and members of the Borodin Quartet. Next we hear the romantic third movement of Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto followed in complete contrast by the first movement of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.5. In 1940, while still a student, Richter had given the world premiere of the Sonata No. 6 by Sergei Prokofiev, a composer with whose works Richter was ever after associated. The programme ends with a complete performance of one of the most popular concertos in the entire piano repertoire: Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Suite for Harpsichord in E major, HWV 430 by George Frideric Handel
Performer:
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1720; London, England
Venue: Live Tours Festival, Château de Marcilly-sur-
Length: 12 Minutes 36 Secs.
2.
Sonata for Violin and Piano in C major, K 404 (385d) [Fragment] by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Oleg Kagan (Violin),
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: 1782; Vienna, Austria
Venue: Live Grange de la Besnardière, Fêtes Musicale
Length: 3 Minutes 54 Secs.
3.
Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat, K 482: 1. Allegro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Conductor:
Riccardo Muti
Period: Classical
Written: 1785; Austria
Venue: Live No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
Length: 14 Minutes 33 Secs.
4.
Sonata for Piano no 17 in D minor, Op. 31 no 2 "Tempest": 3rd movement, Allegretto by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: 1802; Vienna, Austria
Venue: No. 1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
Length: 6 Minutes 59 Secs.
5.
Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26: 5. Finale by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1839; Germany
Venue: Live Milan
Length: 5 Minutes 21 Secs.
6.
Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 54 by Robert Schumann
Performer:
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Conductor:
Lovro von Matacic
Period: Romantic
Written: 1841-1845; Germany
Venue: Palais Garnier, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Length: 30 Minutes 10 Secs.
7.
Fantasy for Piano in C major, D 760/Op. 15 "Wanderer" by Franz Schubert
Performer:
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1822; Vienna, Austria
Venue: Salle Wagram, Paris
Length: 20 Minutes 8 Secs.
8.
Piano Quintet in A, D 667 'Trout': 4. Tema (Andantino) con variazioni by Franz Schubert
Performer:
Valentin Berlinsky (Cello),
Mikhail Kopelman (Violin),
Georg Hörtnagel (Double Bass),
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano),
Dmitri Shebalin (Viola)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1819
Date of Recording: 06/18/1980
Venue: Schloss Hohenems, Austria
Length: 7 Minutes 45 Secs.
9.
Concerto for Piano no 2 in B flat major, Op. 83: 3rd movement, Andante-Più adagio by Johannes Brahms
Performer:
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Conductor:
Lorin Maazel
Period: Romantic
Written: 1878-1881; Austria
Venue: Salle Wagram, Paris
Length: 12 Minutes 36 Secs.
10.
Piano Concerto No. 5 in G, Op. 55: 1. Allegro con brio by Sergei Prokofiev
Performer:
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Conductor:
Lorin Maazel
Period: Modern
Written: 1931-1932
Venue: Kingsway Hall, London
Length: 5 Minutes 30 Secs.
11.
Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16 by Edvard Grieg
Performer:
Sviatoslav Richter (Piano)
Conductor:
Lovro von Matacic
Period: Romantic
Written: 1868/1907; Norway
Venue: Palais Garnier, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Length: 28 Minutes 6 Secs.
Sound Samples
Suite No. 5 in E Major, HWV 430 (1996 - Remaster): I. Prélude (Allegro moderato)
Suite No. 5 in E Major, HWV 430 (1996 - Remaster): II. Allemande (Andantino)
Suite No. 5 in E Major, HWV 430 (1996 - Remaster): III. Courante (Allegro)
Suite No. 5 in E Major, HWV 430 (1996 - Remaster): IV. Air con Variazioni (Andantino)
Andante & Allegretto in C, K.404 (2001 Digital Remaster): I. Andante
Andante & Allegretto in C, K.404 (2001 Digital Remaster): II. Allegretto
Piano Concerto No. 22 in E Flat, K.482: Allegro (cadenza by Britten)
Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op.31 No. 2, 'Tempest' (1992 Digital Remaster): III. Allegretto
Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op.26 (2001 Digital Remaster): V. Finale
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.54 (2003 - Remaster): Allegro affettuoso - Andante espressivo - Tempo 1 - Cadenza - Allegro molto
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.54 (2003 - Remaster): Intermezzo (Andantino grazioso)
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.54 (2003 - Remaster): Allegro vivace
Fantasia in C Major, D.760 'Wandererfantasie' (1998 Digital Remaster): I. Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo
Fantasia in C Major, D.760 'Wandererfantasie' (1998 Digital Remaster): II. Adagio
Fantasia in C Major, D.760 'Wandererfantasie' (1998 Digital Remaster): III. Presto
Fantasia in C Major, D.760 'Wandererfantasie' (1998 Digital Remaster): IV. Allegro
Piano Quintet in A Major, D.667 'The Trout': IV. Tema (Andantino) con variazioni 1-6
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat, Op.83 (1992 Digital Remaster): III. Andante
Piano Concerto No. 5 in G, Op.55 (1992 Digital Remaster): Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.16 (2003 - Remaster): I. Allegro molto moderato
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.16 (2003 - Remaster): II. Adagio
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op.16 (2003 - Remaster): III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato - Andante maestoso
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