Often named the supreme pianist of his era, Sviatoslav Richter (1915-1997) was a poet of the keyboard and an enigmatic, sometimes eccentric figure. These 24 CDs span three centuries of music – repertoire for solo piano and piano duo, chamber music, song and concerto – and bring Richter together with other great artists of his time. As the New York Times wrote, his pianism “combined astonishing technical mastery with bold, wide-ranging musical imagination. His control over the colorings of piano tone was incomparable.”
J**R
NOTHING NEW, BUT THIS BOX IS STILL WORTH LOOKING INTO - Now in Original Jacket format
This is a combination of two previously released boxes:-- Richter's HMV/EMI Recordings (14 CDs) = Sviatoslav Richter: The Master Pianist ($20), and-- Richter's Teldec Recordings (3 CDs) = The Teldec Recordings ($11)Even though the old boxes added up to 17 CDs, and the new box is 24 CDs,THERE ARE NO NEW RICHTER RECORDINGS IN THIS BOX[there are two new CDs of Andrei Gavrilov playing Handel Keyboard Suites. The 1979 all-Handel concert was a joint effort of the two pianists, who shared the Suites between them].The new Warner box is an "original jacket" collection.The cardboard jackets reproduce the artwork (and timings) of the original LPs.One thing they do not reproduce is program notes: the back of each jacket is devoted to track listings and timings.I found a photo of the 24 CD Korean Warner box (different cover design) and posted it below so you can see what the "original jackets" look like.See the end of this review for a list of contents with recording dates.CDs 1-3 are Richter's first LPs for EMI, recorded 1961-63:Studio recordings, except for a "live" 1962 Schumann recital on CD 2CDs 4-21 were recorded by EMI between 1969 and 1980:Studio recordings, except "live" recordings of the Handel Suites, the Mozart Violin Sonatas with Oleg Kagan, and the Berg Chamber ConcertoCDs 22-24, the Teldec recordings.The Mozart-Grieg on CD 22 (1993) was Richter's final studio recording, CDs 23 & 24 were recorded "live" (1993-94).Richter died in 1997, aged 82.Packaging and Sound:24 cardboard jackets + 24 page booklet in a sturdy slip-cased cardboard box.The overall appearance is superficially more attractive than the old EMI box, but the the new booklet is a disappointment.The old booklet had a five page article about the recording sessions.The new booklet has a five page general appreciation of Richter + one page devoted to the actual recordings(neither booklet has traditional program notes about the music + neither has texts or translations of the Brahms songs).All 24 CDs use the same remasterings as the old boxes,The recorded sound for everything is quite good (a little less good on the "live" CDs)CD 16 (Mozart with Muti) claims a 2015 remastering, but that refers to the Mozart Symphony 24 used as filler (first time on CD)INDEX TO RECORDINGS OF SVIATOSLAV RICHTER BY WESTERN RECORD COMPANIES:Between 1956 and 1994, eight Western record companies made 107 CDs worth of recordings with Sviatoslav Richter.The libraries of these companies are now owned by three conglomerates, which have released everything in four inexpensive mega-boxes:SONY: Columbia Records, RCA and Eurodisc = Columbia and RCA on Sviatoslav Richter - The Complete Album Collection (18 CDs); Eurodisc on Eurodisc Recordings (14 CDs)UNIVERSAL: Deutsche Grammophon, Philips and Decca = Sviatoslav Richter: Complete Decca, Philips & DG Recordings (51 CDs)WARNER: HMV/EMI and Teldec = reviewed on this page (24 CDs)I have prepared a comprehensive discography of all Sviatoslav Richter's Western recordings.The Warner recordings are identified by their old EMI and Teldec boxes.Published in my review of: Sviatoslav Richter: Complete Decca, Philips & DG Recordings - see my review titled INDEX TO RECORDINGS OF SVIATOSLAV RICHTER BY WESTERN RECORD COMPANIES (dated January 29, 2015)CONTENTS OF THE "COMPLETE WARNER RECORDINGS"CD 1 (1961) Beethoven & SchumannBeethoven:- Piano Sonata No.17 in D minor Op.31 No.2 'Tempest'Schumann:- Fantasy in C Op.17CD 2 (1962) Schumann (live)- Papillons Op.2- Piano Sonata No.2 in G minor Op.22- Faschingsschwank aus Wien Op.26CD 3 (1963) Schubert- Fantasy in C D760 'Wanderer'- Piano Sonata in A D664CD 4 (1969) Beethoven- Triple Concerto in C Op.56with David Oistrakh violinwith Mstislav Rostropovich celloHerbert von Karajan, Berlin PhilharmonicCD 5 (1969) Brahms- Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat Op.83Lorin Maazel, Orchestre de ParisCD 6 (1969-70) Bartók & ProkofievBartók:- Piano Concerto No.2Prokofiev:- Piano Concerto No.5 in G Op.55*Lorin Maazel, Orchestre de Paris, *London SymphonyCD 7 (1970) Brahms- 15 Romanzen aus 'Die schöne Magelone' Op.33with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau baritoneCDs 8-9 (1974) Mozart (live)- Violin Sonata in D K306- Violin Sonata in B flat K372 'Unfinished'- Violin Sonata in B flat K378- Violin Sonata in G K379- Andante & Allegretto in C K404/385dwith Oleg Kagan violinCD 10 (1974) Grieg & SchumannGrieg:- Piano Concerto in A minor Op.16Schumann:- Piano Concerto in A minor Op.54Lovro von Matacic, Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-CarloCD 11 (1976) Beethoven- Violin Sonata No.4 in A minor Op.23- Violin Sonata No.5 in F Op.24 'Spring'with Oleg Kagan violinCD 12 (1976) Beethoven- Piano Sonata No.1 in F minor Op.2 No.1- Piano Sonata No.7 in D Op.10 No.3CD 13 (1976) Dvorák- Piano Concerto in G minor Op.33Carlos Kleiber, Bayerische StaatsorchesterCD 14 (1977) Beethoven- Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor Op.37*- Andante favori in F WoO.57*Riccardo Muti, Philharmonia OrchestraCD 15 (1977) Berg (live)- Chamber Concertowith Oleg Kagan violinYuri Nikolayevsky, Instrumental Ensemble of the Moscow ConservatoireCD 16 (1979) Mozart- Piano Concerto No.22 in E flat K482- Symphony No.24 in B flat K182Riccardo Muti, Philharmonia OrchestraCDs 17-20 (1979) Handel (live)- Keyboard Suite No.1 in A*- Keyboard Suite No.2 in F- Keyboard Suite No.3 in D minor- Keyboard Suite No.4 in E minor*- Keyboard Suite No.5 in E- Keyboard Suite No.6 in F sharp minor*- Keyboard Suite No.7 in G minor*- Keyboard Suite No.8 in F minor- Keyboard Suite No.9 in G minor- Keyboard Suite No.10 in D minor*- Keyboard Suite No.11 in D minor*- Keyboard Suite No.12 in E minor- Keyboard Suite No.13 in B flat*- Keyboard Suite No.14 in G- Keyboard Suite No.15 in D minor*- Keyboard Suite No.16 in G minor*Andrei Gavrilov pianoCD 21 (1980) Schubert-Piano Quintet in A D667 'Trout'with Borodin QuartetCD 22 (1993) Mozart(with freely added accompaniment for a second piano by Grieg):- Fantasia in C minor K475 Adagio 14.52- Piano Sonata in F K494- Piano Sonata in C K545two pianos with Elisabeth LeonskajaCD 23 (1993 live) Bach & MozartBach:- Keyboard Concerto in D BWV1054- Keyboard Concerto in G minor BWV1058Mozart:- Piano Concerto No.25 in C K503Yuri Bashmet, Orchestra di Padova e del VenetoCD 24 (1994 live) Schubert & SchumannSchubert:- String Quartet No.14 in D minor D810 'Death and the Maiden'Schumann:- Piano Quintet in E flat Op.44with Borodin Quartet
B**5
Richter is great but there are better sets
I wish Richter had recorded more appealing repertoire for HMV/Teldec.I also wish Warner had combined things into fewer/longer discs. Some of these are ridiculously short.
D**F
Many Great, some not so great, but Richter is always interesting.
I just got this, and have not listened to all of it, but so far almost all of it is a joy. I don't much care fore the Mozart/Grieg, but I blame that on Grieg's not leaving well enough alone and also on whoever decided it was worthy of recording. But there are also some real gems. As I write this I'm listening to the Schumann Quintet, a piece I thought I knew intimately since I first heard it decades ago in a recording with Arthur Rubinstein. But this version has a much different, often darker feel -- less elegant, but full of emotion and interesting mood shifts and juxtapositions. What I love about Richter is that you can't put him in a box. He never seems to attack music the same way. Each recording is as if he is discovering it for the first time afresh, without preconception. Well, not always -- the Brahms 2nd concerto seemed to have nothing much to say. Listening to many of Richter's recordings have jolted me out of my habit of going to old favorites. Sometimes it seems like "and now for something completely different..." but at the bargain price of less than $1.50 a disk, it is worth getting shook up a little even if you ultimately don't make all of these your top shelf versions. If I have any complaint it is only minor ones -- that the book has no track and timing information about the recordings, which is only printed on each album's sleeve. Also, the set is done in an "original jacket" style, which means some of the disks are quite short, and the the average is just 50 minutes.
J**W
A Richter Collection Not To Be Missed
The Warner Music Group has, with this set, restored a cherished part of my musical education. The first three of these CDs are reissues of LPs that came out while I was an undergraduate. Subsequent LPs were still being released when I was an "old man" in grad school. The experience of listening to all these was Proustian! The sound is glorious, and the original covers make this a gem in my music collection. The performances (not incidentally) are sublime. -jdt
P**.
WB Box Set Cds - Warning
Here's a WARNING to those who want to purchase this box set of Richter's music. The CDs are defective and will NOT play (unless you fiddle for a long time with them). You will get an error message, "Empty Disc" on your cd player. I am just now finding this out as I begin to play them, or attempt to. Some play without being fiddled with, but most won't. You can mess with them by repositioning them in the cd slot and eventually you might get one to play, but what a drag that is, especially considering the cost of the box set. The music, sound engineering is very good, I was quite surprised and pleased with that aspect. But the time you have to take to get even one to play is unacceptable. And I have a high-end CD player. Maybe they would play better on a low-end player (I don't know). It is the company WB that is at fault. I discovered the problem when I began trying to play CDs for Martha Argerich's Lugano Live Box Set, and nearly none of those will play. It also is a WB production. So then I went to the Richter box set and noticed the same thing. I don't have this problem with any other label, just WB. The music though is down right wonderful for both artists when you can get the cd to play. Sound engineering is very good. Surprising for Richter considering the age of performance when recorded. Remastered undoubtedly. But Argerich's music is all 21st century and sound is very good on those. But only if you could play them.....
A**E
Be Amazes
One of the best pianist of his era! I first encountered S Richter with Pictures at an Exhibition after that I have always been a fan of this great pianist.Nothing that he records is short of amazing.
D**N
Five Stars
Great Box Set, Very fast shipping. Seller very highly recommended. A+++++
J**L
Five Stars
Truly, a lovely series of interpretations.
P**T
Beautiful box set
The box itself is very well designed- better than DG boxes actually. The music is well worth listening to! Some gems in there- particularly the Kagan... Enjoy!
N**E
Bekannte Referenzeinspielungen, Zweitklassiges und Entdeckungen
Warner zeigt mal wieder wie man es macht. Die CDs kommen in Papphüllen mit den Originalcovern der LPs und haben auf der Rückseite sämtliche Informationen wie Aufnahmedatum und Originalveröffentlichung aufgelistet. Das Booklet ist knapp aber angemessen.CD1-3 beinhalten klassische Referenzeinspielungen Richters aus dem germanischen Solo Repertoire: Schumanns Fantasie, Papillons, Faschingsschwank, Klaviersonate 2, Beethoven Klaviersonate 17 und Schubert Klaviersonate D664 sowie dessen Wandererfantasie. - HerausragendCD4 enthält das Tripelkonzert von Beethoven mit Oistrakh und Rostropovich, dirigiert von Karajan - ebenfalls Referenz.CD5-6 sind die Konzertaufnahmen Richters mit Lorin Maazel (Brahms 2, Bartok 2, Prokofiev 5) - Diese Aufnahmen sind alle nicht optimal und vor allem wegen des Dirigats zu kritisieren. Brahms 2. Konzert gibt es von Richter in vielen besseren Aufnahmen (allen voran diejenige mit Leinsdorf), das Prokofiev 5. gibt es in der klassischen Einspielung mit Witold Rowicki auf DG. Leidglich das Bartok Konzert ist mangels anderer audiophiler Aufnahmen mit Richter in gewisser Weise wichtig, wenn man Richters Ansatz haben möchte.CD7 sind die Magelone Lieder mit Fischer-Dieskau. Eine Entdeckung dieser Ausgabe.CD8-9 sind die Live-Aufnahmen einiges Mozart Violinsonaten mit Oleg Kagan. Herausragend auch und im Besonderen wegen Oleg Kagan. (und das obwohl Richter bei Mozart meistens weniger überzeugt)CD10 beinhaltet die Aufnahmen des Grieg und Schumann Konzert mit Lovro von Matacic. Für diese Aufnahmen gilt ähnliches wie für diejenigen mit Maazel. Richter hatte bei seinen Konzertaufnahmen nicht immer Glück. Das Schumannkonzert gelingt überhaupt nicht. Matacic ist viel zu brutal und hat keinen Sinn für die Nuancen von Schumanns Orchestrierung. Wenn man Richter beim Schumannkonzert möchte, dann sollte man die Aufnahme mit Rowicki bei der DG vorziehen (auch diese ist meiner Ansicht nach nicht optimal). Das Grieg Konzert gelingt meiner Ansicht nach besser. Aber hier kenne ich mich zu wenig aus, um genaueres zu sagen.CD11 Die Violinsonaten Beethovens mit Kagan sind wieder Spitze.CD12 Diese Aufnahmen von frühen Klaviersonaten Beethovens des späten Richters sind interessant aber eigenwillig. Beide Aufnahmen sind überzeugend aber nicht allgemeingültig. Richters Spiel ist für die Sonate Nr. 1 meiner Ansicht nach zu fatallistisch und lässt den entsprechenden Witz vermissen. Die Interpretation wirkt extrem ernst und bestimmt. Dieser Ansatz geht dann bei der Sonate Nr. 7 viel besser auf. Hier gehört diese Richter-Aufnahme zu meinen Favoriten.CD13 Dvorak Konzert mit Kleiber - ReferenzCD14 Das 3. Beethovenkonzert mit Muti gelingt insgesamt gut, noch etwas schwerer und langsamer als mit Sanderling auf DG. Richter artikuliert genauer und die Aufnahmequalität ist besser. Die Aufnahme mit Sanderling ist spritziger. Hier entscheidet wohl persönliche Präferenz.CD15 Berg Kammerkonzert - eine EntdeckungCD16 weniger gelungen. Das Mozartkonzert kommt etwas schleppend und wenig freudig daher. Die Sinfonie ist auch nicht viel besser.CD17-20 Das sind hervorragende Einspielungen der Händelsuiten auf modernen Pianos. Richter gefällt mir zwar besser als Gavrilov, der macht seine Sache aber auch sehr gut. Möchte ich nicht mehr missen.CD21 Forellenquintett mit Richter und dem Borodin Quartett? ReferenzCD22 interessant, aber sicher eher eine Exzentrität die Grieg-Bearbeitungen von Mozart zu spielenCD23 Beide Bach-Konzerte gelingen hervorragend. Ich bin von Bashmets Begleitung und dem Orchester aus Padova sehr positive überrascht. Das zusätzliche Verwenden eines Cembalos als Continuo-Instrument macht stutzig und widerspricht wohl Bachs Intentionen, der in den Cembalokonzerten beginnt die Verwendung eines Continuos bewusst aufzugeben. Nichtsdestotrotz überzeugen die Aufnahmen musikalisch derart, dass ich darüber ohne Probleme hinweg sehen kann.Dieses Mozart-Konzert gelingt besser. Das Konzert KV503 mit sienem eher tiefgründigen und introspektiven Charakter liegt Richter besser. Doch auch hier wird man keine mozartische Freude finden. Richter spielt keine Kadenz im ersten Satz.CD24 Richter und Borodin? ReferenzFazit: Klar es gibt auch Zweitklassiges, aber insgesamt deutlich mehr Lichtblicke und vor allem kann man Entdeckungen machen, die man sich auf Einzel-CDs wahrscheinlich nicht zugelegt hätte. Obendrauf erhält man die bekannten Referenzeinspielungen in nochmals verbesserter Klangqualität. Jedem Richter-Fan zu empfehlen.
A**E
Un grandissimo pianista
Cofanetto stupendo con bellissime copertine. Le interpretazioni di Richter sono semplicemente straordinarie
B**O
Sull'olimpo
pER GLI APPASSIONATI, SEMPLICEMENTE IL MASSIMO.......
G**E
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