Composer: Robert Schumann
Performer: Sviatoslav Richter
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Supraphon
Catalogue: SU37952
Release: 2008
Size: 314 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Fantasie for Piano in C Major, Op. 17
01. Allegro fantastico e con passione
02. Moderato, ma energico
03. Andante sostenuto e sempre mezza voce
Waldszenen, Op. 82
04. No. 1, Eintritt im Walde
05. No. 2, Jäger auf der Lauer
06. No. 3, Einsame Blumen
07. No. 4, Verrufene Stelle
08. No. 5, Freundliche Landschaft
09. No. 6, Herberge
10. No. 7, Vogel als Prophet
11. No. 8, Jagdlied
12. No. 9, Abschied
Fantasiestücke, Op. 12
13. Des Abends
14. Aufschwung
15. Warum?
16. In der Nacht
17. Traumes Wirren
18. Ende vom Lied
4 Marches, Op. 76
19. No. 2 in G Minor
The music of Robert Schumann and the artistry of Sviatoslav Richter are a natural match. Schumann was loathe to use flashy, purely virtuosic elements in his compositions, a fact brilliantly illustrated in the vast majority of his works for solo piano. Rather, Schumann was much more likely to tell a story, paint a picture, or read a poem through his music, although his works were not overtly programmatic. Richter possessed a technique virtually unrivaled during his career and was able to definitively toss off even the most technically demanding works. At his heart, however, Richter was a poet and an artist with profound musical insights and introspections. This album, featuring recordings made in the late ’50s, is one of Richter’s surviving albums in which poor sound quality does not distract listeners from this artistry. His performances of the C major Fantasy, the Op. 82 Waldszenen, and the Op. 12 Fantasiestucke are magnificently refined, unhurried, and unsullied by some pianists’ need to make the works flashier then they need to be. Schumann’s works allow listeners to hear the warmer, more tender side of Richter in a way that not even his commanding performances of the Beethoven sonatas allow. Surprisingly spacious for a monaural recording, the restored sound quality throughout generally achieves a pleasing balance of warmth and clarity.