Search - Chopin, Beethoven, Richter :: Ballades / Etudes / Rondos / Bagatelles

Brilliant, hair-raising performances

John Grabowski | USA | 07/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who's a Richter admirerer already will not be surprised by this disc. It features stunning, brisk, sometimes violent pianism that will have you on the edge of your chair. Taken from a series of radio broadcasts, in sound that ranges from very good to so-so (unfortunately the Ballades, my favorite works on the set, are in so-so sound), these are compelling, tight, poetic, and in the case of the Bagatelle in B minor, Op. 126/4, hair-raising. You've never heard a performance like this! The Etudes have a directness and unfussiness that ensure this is not dainty, drawing-room Chopin, yet there is plenty of Romanticism (in the best sense of the term). In the Ballades Richter gives you an inevitability that comes from an understanding of the structure few can match--he auditioned for Neuhaus with the 4th Ballade, that's how far back his association with the piece goes! Most other recordings I've heard of the Ballades pale compared to this one. Grab this disc before it's deleted--it seems lots of great Richter recordings are disappearing these days."

Richter in top form

hjonkers | The Netherlands | 02/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Richter was in rare form during these performances, although the recorded sound is far from ideal. Never mind: the greatness of his playing shines through well enough. He can be very violent at times: if you like your Chopin and Beethoven easy don't look here. Those who do, however, are in for a thrilling experience. The disc starts off with Beethoven's two Rondos, pieces hardly anybody plays today. Richter does a great service to these Mozartean pieces though, playing with great articulation and phrasing. Same is true for two of the Bagatelles. The 4th Bagatelle is something quite different, to say the least. This performance is one near to unbelievable, and I really feared for the health of my boxes while Richter thundered his way through this piece! His instant fortissimo leap in the middle of the piece is almost scary. Then we get some Etudes, all of which are given a stellar performance. The op.25/6 etude is played at a jaw-dropping speed of which I still wonder if a normal human can accomplish this. In the Revolutions-etude, there's a perfect balance between the angry chords in the right hand and the whirlwind in the left.



But best of the set are undoubtedly the four ballades. The way he jumps into the Presto con fuoco of the second Ballade is awesome, especially because he never loses his powerful pace. He displays the same huge energy in the coda of the first ballade. The third one is far better than, say, Richter's account in the `Rediscovered' recital, where he's quite nervous. This performance however, is rock-solid and absolutely superb. The fourth is the jewel on the crown however. The whole beginning contains a mystical, heroic grandeur that only increases during the piece. Richter gets to the lyrical section before the coda, lets the tension increase bit by bit and finally bursts out in tempestuous etude-like whirls that are followed by lots of fortissimo chords. Silence returns, but suddenly the incredible madness returns at a speed I haven't heard any other pianist ever play with. These are some of the best renditions of the Ballades I've heard. Together with the other great stuff, this is a must-have disc. If you can't get it as a single disc anymore, then purchase the entire `Richter in Prague' set, which includes fifteen discs of masterful pianism you shouldn't miss."