Since they were initial issued, Sviatoslov Richter’s Liszt Piano Concertos have been widely admired as the finest performances available, and for most listeners they still are. Now they have been remastered by none other than Wilma Cozart Fine, Mercury Living Presence’s goddess of the sound console, and they have come up sounding better than ever. To make matters even more exciting, you likewise get Richter’s well-nigh definitive performance of the massive Sonata in B Minor–and all for only mid-price! Even if you hate Liszt, hate concertos, hate pianos, hate Russians, hate music in general, you ought to own and treasure (or penalize yourself regularly) with this recording. –David Hurwitz
Although Sviatoslav Richter’s account has power and authority, it’s best in the meditative moments, which are closely balletic in their grace. The Russian pianist achieves seamless transitions from one mood to the next, and his countryman on the podium sees to it that there is a terrifi dovetailing of the accompaniment around the solo. Richter is in particular magical at the end of the Adagio, where he anticipates the shadings of Liszt’s late style. This was in the first place a Mercury “Living Presence” recording; it has been tellingly remastered by it is primary producer, and sounds in an outstanding manner more bright than when Philips introductory issued it on CD. –Ted Libbey
Piano Sonatas Legend 2 Picture
Piano Sonatas Legend 2 Picture
Piano Sonatas Legend 2 Picture
Piano Sonatas Legend 2 Image
Piano Sonatas Legend 2 Pic
Piano Sonatas Legend 2 Photo
Most helpful customer reviews
52 of 52 people found the following review helpful.
 Consummate Mastery In The Liszt Concertos
By Jeffrey Lipscomb
If you are new to the late Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter, arguably the greatest all-round keyboard virtuoso of the last century, this is a splendid place to start. And if you are new to Liszt’s piano concertos, there is little need to look any farther. Few “legendary” recordings live up to the praise heaped upon them so deservedly as these classic 1961 studio recordings. Richter’s inspired blend of drama and poetry is matched by a superb accompaniment from Kondrashin and the London Symphony. Philips here has actually improved on the sound of the original LPs: only a trace of hiss betrays the fact that these performances were taped over four decades ago.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
Two fingers to the critics.
By Jay
The young Richter made his London debut with Kondrashin in these two Liszt concertos and the press reaction to them was savage. Which in my opinion, based on the recordings made of that concert was totally undeserved, although not all together surprising when one considers the political climate of 1961, so later that week when Richter and Kondrashin went to Walthamstow to make this recording, they went with a point to prove and did they prove it! Richer attacks the music from the opening bars in a way that one does not immediately associate with Liszt but which is wonderfully effective, hooking the listener and taking him along with the music. Wilma Cozart-Fine herself remastered the original three-track tapes and the sound has a terrific edge to it, though the traditionally bright Mercury “Living Presence” sound can cause problems if the replay equipment used in not up to the task, so beware.
The Sonata, recorded three decades later, shows a different side to Richter, not angry this time, but relaxed both with himself and with the music, thoughtful and contemplative. Relatively speaking of course, Richter’s ability to rise to the challenge of the score’s more aggressive passages is never in doubt.
24 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Richter in Top Form Playing Liszt Concertos and Sonata
By Michael A Pahre
This recording of the two Liszt piano concertos and the B-minor piano sonata show pianist Sviatoslav Richter with total mastery over these centerpieces of the virtuoso piano literature. The octaves are fast and wild, the bass booming but well-articulated, the upper register sparkling, and the scales evenly executed. Richter is often eccentric and sometimes sloppy, but these concerto performances are straight-forward and accessible. This recording of the concertos is as good as any in the literature, although I have a small preference for Arrau’s recording with Ormandy in the 1950s.
The Liszt b-minor piano sonata is possibly his most original creation, even though the work has a clear conceptual precedent in Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy. The piece follows a cyclical structure, is based on the thorough development of several basic motifs, and constantly places monumental techical demands on the performer. Richter plays throughout with daring and aggression, except for the introduction and coda, in which he nearly loses all sense of structure for the work by taking an excessively slow tempo. While this live recording of the sonata has its share of wrong notes, the energy of the performance demonstrates that Richter was at his best in concert. Once again, this is a performance nearly as good as any other, although I prefer the recordings of Cliburn, Arrau, and Argerich.
The sound quality of the digital re-mastering (probably all 1960s original recordings) is excellent–particularly for the rendering of the London Symphony Orchestra, who are in surprisingly energetic and excellent form under Kondrashin’s direction (despite poor intonation in a few passages). Unfortunately, the live recording itself for the sonata contains some thumping in the fugue section, which was probably a result of poor microphone placement.
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