For those who thought Sviatoslav Richter could do no wrong, here are two discs that contain conclusive proof to the contrary. Though there had always been evidence that the Russian titan of keyboard could sometimes turn into the Russian banger extraordinaire, pummeling the keyboard, few of his performances were as brutal as those recorded here. Richter slams and bangs the piano like the Red Army sacking Berlin. To make matters worse, Richter performs the rarely heard first two piano sonatas, as well as the super virtuoso Paganini Variations, as if he had 10 thumbs -- if this were all the recorded evidence that existed of Richter's playing, one would conclude he was nothing more than an extremely awkward Lazar Berman.
But also included here is Richter's 1961 EMI recording of Schumann's Fantasia in C major, usually considered one of the pianist's greatest recordings and one of the finest Schumann recordings ever made. Richter's touch is nuanced, his technique impeccable. Every passage, phrase, and detail is lovingly shaped, yet the whole work's passionate sweep is ultimately what is conveyed. Richter drives each of the three movements toward their individual climaxes -- the first's blissful, the second's exultant, and the third's ecstatic -- and each successive climax grows higher and deeper than the last until the cumulative release of pressure in the finale's coda is aesthetically cathartic and emotionally draining. Because of Richter's abominable Brahms, it's impossible to recommend this two-disc set. But because of his sublime Schumann, it's also impossible not to.
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