Search - J. Brahms :: Brahms: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 & 3

Note that these Sviatoslav Richter recordings are also available on Philips (Nos. 12 and 27), Praga (Nos. 7 and 29), Intergalio (Nos. 28 and 31), and an earlier M&A release (No. 1). Prior to Richter's first appearances in the West, his Beethoven was impulsive and pianistically oriented, as borne out in the D Major Sonata, Op. 10, No. 3, recorded in 1959 in Prague. By contrast, the 1965 Op. 101 and Op. 110 are cogently sculpted according to the composer's specifications, yet they brew with individual touches. How gorgeously Richter's prismatic sonority and insidious legato congealed in Carnegie Hall. The pianist's fierce, concentrated Hammerklavier is also a keeper, while his Funeral March sonata puts his older versions in the shade on stylistic grounds. --Jed Distler