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Paul Geffen wrote:
The sound quality of the Richter Bach Suites is excellent.
It is as good as the two commercial releases of this material
(Stradivarius and Live Classics). The performance (which I heard
on tape some months ago) is at least as good as the European
versions, more inspired, more daring. Of course there are a few
minor problems with the fingers but that is hardly worth mentioning.
The 1954 Richter and Ginsburg are not so good in terms of recording
quality. (The playing is wonderful.) There is some distortion
and flutter in the tape. It is about the same as the Parnassus
CDs of Richter in the 1950s.........[snip] Your covers are very
nicely done. All the art came out well, I think. The lack of
color is really not going to bother anyone. Overall it is a very
good presentation.
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I am listening to the Liszt Sonata and it is indeed a different
recording from the two available so far. This is a great accomplishment.
There are qualities in this performance that will make it especially
interesting to collectors.
Every hour brings new discoveries
.......................................................................
I was very impressed with the Yudina disc, especially the Mussorgsky
pieces.
Tragedies petites. Mozart and Salieri
Xylography by V.A. Favorsky
From Paul Geffen's message to Sviatoslav Richter list members:
I hope that readers on the Richter list will forgive me for including two discs here that contain nothing by Richter. That said, I believe that those who are not already familiar with the art of Maria Yudina and Grigori Ginsburg will see that they also possess exceptional interpretive gifts. The composer best represented above is the one closest to the heart of every Russian pianist: Johann Sebastian Bach. The performances of the English Suites recorded here are similar to the others given by Richter in the same year and already available on the Stradivarius and Live Classics labels. In this recital in Moscow he plays more freely and in with more lively spirit. The sound is first rate and possibly digital. Richter left few recorded interpretations of the Debussy Images and the others are all from 1960 or earlier. This live performance from 1983 shows great depth of feeling. I cannot compare it to the Book I in the Carnegie Hall version, which I have not heard, but the "Cloches" on this set is slower and gentler than either of the two interpretations from 1954 and 1958 on Parnassus. Two Chopin etudes complete the second disc. They are undated but from the tempi and sound they seem to be early recordings, possibly from the 1950s. They are faster and more aggressive than the later versions, but very beautifully played. There is no sign of an audience here so it may be that these are from the studio. The Prokofiev Sonata that opens the third disc has very clear sound and an amazingly precise performance. The Scriabin Sonata that follows is brusque and lyrical by turns, as the composer requires. The rest of this program consists of the Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales, and Miroirs. These pieces are given rough-edged, granitic, almost cubist interpretations thus proving that French music need not be pretty. Sound from this 1964 Moscow Conservatory recital is excellent, but there are some signs of an audience. The Liszt Sonata from 1965 in volume 5 shows the performer in a more determined and more impulsive mood than we hear in the recorded recitals from around the same time in Europe. Here the Moscow environment brings out the best in Richter, as was the case in Carnegie Hall. Of course this also brings with it a few slips, which is to be expected as the pianist risks everything to bring entirely new timbres from his instrument. The Yudina and Ginsburg discs each begin with a piece by Bach, naturally, but the highlight and revelation of these selections must be the Mussorgsky pieces. Yudina takes these simple short works and finds emotional depths that rival the great interpretations of songs by this composer. Ginsburg is well represented here with both solo and concerto works. I will leave a full description of these items for another day and only say that Richter has excellent company. The production values for this series are modest but everything is nicely done. There are no liner notes but all discs have complete track listings with timings and the layout and production of the printed material is attractive. This presentation of historical recordings is in many ways as good as most commercial releases, and it is better than many.
Farhan Malik wrote to Sviatoslav Richter list memebers:
I would like to follow up Paul's comments on the Russian Masters CDs with some of my own. He has covered the Richter volumes in detail so I am focusing on the others. I am most impressed by the Russian Masters discs. The performances are excellent and in remarkably good sound. All Richter fans will want to own the Richter volumes, but it would be a mistake to pass up the Ginzburg and Yudina volumes. Ginzburg was one of the century's greatest pianists, and his playing of the Arensky and Kabalevsky Concertos is absolutely first rate making one wonder why both he and those works are not better known. The solo works on volume 5, particularly the Chopin and Liszt, are masterfully played, full of poetry and virtuosity. Those unfamiliar with Ginzburg's playing are in for a revelation. The Yudina volume is also highly recommended. Many of her best features are captured while her renowned eccentricities are kept in check; the Bach/Liszt Prelude and Fugue in A minor receives a commanding performance. It is a great thrill to have previously unreleased recordings by these pianists available, and in the case of Ginzburg and Yudina much repertoire new to their discographies.
Farhan
Paul M. N. Forsell wrote:
Speaking of the Bach/Galston Siciliano as played by Ginzburg,
I must say that I don't think I've ever heard piano playing that
is so beautiful. It is a truly great performance and I was very
moved to hear it. It is a perfect performance: listen to the
tone, the phrasing, the voicing, how he brings out the theme
in the soprano! The more I hear Ginzburg the more I value him.
He was one of the five greatest Soviet era pianists, along with
VS, SF, SR, KI, and EG. Indeed, he was one of the greatest pianists
of this century!
Mark Mao [about Richter playing English suites]:
The sound is very good! it's out of my expecting. Here are what I found in these recording, purely technical point of view, for your ref: 1) It seems that microphones were a little far away from piano compare with regular studio recording. 2) Sound is pretty warm with echo from the big music hall. Mic(omni-direction?) can not catch low frequency very well, I can hear a little be loose low frequency. 3) It's an analog recording, we can hear high frequency noise "hiss........" from the open reel tape recorder. From another point of view is good, which means you did not added artificial post-process to reduce it or let's say pollute it. 4) I prefer to have a longer applause (it's a personal taste), it's a live recording anyway!
From: Ramon Khalona
To: Paul Geffen
Subject: Richter CDs
With kind permission of Mr. Paul Geffen and Mr. Ramon Khalona
Dear Paul,
As a way of feedback, I'd like to say that I really like the Bach (one of my initial motivations in getting the CDs in the first place) and the Debussy. The rest of the recordings will probably take longer to win me over, but in Richter's case I'm always happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. I realize that these recordings are valuable and are generally in good sound given the sources and conditions in which they were recorded. Honestly, I must tell you that for the price of these CDs, even some minimal documentation would have been nice. As a point of comparison, Parnassus Records' production of "Richter in the 50s" (which are comparable in sound quality and provenance) would be more attractive to the general - and even expert - collector in the sense that some documentation (even as minimal as that is) is offered and the discs are more attractively priced. I realize that price may also be impacted by volume, but since this is a two-way street, perhaps better documentation would improve things in a second batch production of what you're offering. In summary, a Richter collector (though not a completist one) like me finds these valuable, and I'm happy to obtain them. I hope my comments will be taken in the helpful vein they're meant.
Antonio J. Aznar wrote:
[snip] ...I don't care about liner notes: most of us know Richter's art or biography or ever repeating comments by heart. [snip] ....As for the sound and transfers, I actually expected a somehow "dated" or "darker" sound, but when I spinned the Bach suites, it turned out to sound a lot better than the equivalent Stradivari or Philips discs ! Believe me: they don't need any "better" remaster: they sound clean from digital artifacts already (I have valved amplification and a very revealing transport/DAC, and the sound of the piano is absolutely gorgeous: natural, timbrically correct, well placed within space, lots of air around the instrument, uncompressed sound..., you name it) The performances, as expected, are worlds apart. I am of the opinion that Richter always -always- played better in hometown Moscow than anywhere else. Perhaps with the possible exception of some recitals in London (hear the BBC recent RFH reissue with Schubert sonatas: agile, humble, with a chamberlike approach that make them another jewel). The small Prokofiev #2 "flaw" is not really bothersome (at least for me): just as if an unexpected cough had interferred: the ear soon adjusts for. There's a similar flaw in his Hindemith's Ludus Tonalis from Tours '85. As for the Haydn cut-n-paste is unnoticeable. The other discs are wonderful also: the Chopin is incomparable: forget about the other performances: relaxed and flowing; the Images I (which I hadn't heard before, as I don't own any of the American CBS', Columbias, Sonys...etc) are superlative, as was always with Richter's Debussy: nuanced and well integrated. The Scriabin and Liszt sonatas are masterfully played, and the Ravel idiomatic as ever. I find the Liszt sonata superior to the other existing recordings: hearing the piece in concert must have been an experience...
