Volume 25 Issue 7 - April 2020

The 1960s was the era during which many
prodigiously talented USSR instrumental
virtuosi were at last permitted by their
government to concertize in the West. None
elicited more universal excitement than
Sviatoslav Richter who possessed a seemingly
limitless technique, equally at home
in Beethoven and the German Romantic
composers, the French Impressionists and,
of course, contemporary Russian composers. He is now recognized as
one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. He made his American
debut in Chicago on October 15, 1960, gave a series of concerts in
New York that season and appeared as soloist with the New York
Philharmonic. To hand is an 11CD set Sviatoslav Richter plays
Rakhmaninov & Prokofiev (Profil PH19052 naxosdirect.com).
Many of these recordings pre-date his American debut. There are
two versions of the Rachmaninov First Piano Concerto: the version
from March 9, 1949 is conducted by Oleg Azarov followed by a
performance from February 18, 1955 under Kurt Sanderling. The
second concerto also has two performances: live under Agarkov on
May 19, 1948 and with Sanderling on February 6, 1959. He also plays
eight of the Etudes-Tableaux from Opp.33 and 39. The “bonus” on
this disc is two songs sung by soprano Nina Dorliac, Richter’s lifelong
partner. Rounding out the Rachmaninov entries are some preludes.
Richter had put together a suite of 12 preludes heard live, also another
of six preludes.
There are so many works of Prokofiev on the seven remaining discs!
The First Piano Concerto with Kondrashin and the Moscow Youth
Symphony Orchestra in 1952, followed by two performances of the
Fifth: with Kondrashin and the Moscow Philharmonic on April 24,
1961; and a real gem, a previously unreleased concert recording with
the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy in Leningrad from
June 14, 1958. Another interesting entry is the recording of the world
premiere performance of Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto for Cello
and Orchestra in E Minor, Op.125. The dedicatee, Mstislav
Rostropovich, is the soloist, and the conductor is Sviatoslav Richter.
There are seven piano sonata performances, 11 Vision Fugitives, Op.22;
piano transcriptions from the ballet Cinderella; the second and third
cello sonatas, two performances of the Suggestion diabolique No.4,
Op.4, and eight songs sung by Nina Dorliac.
Paul Tortelier was a French cellist born
Paris in 1914. He won First Prize in cello at
the Paris Conservatoire at 16. He became
principal cellist of the Boston Symphony
in 1935 returning to France in 1939. He
settled in Israel in 1955, travelling to Europe
for concerts. He recorded major concerted
works for EMI and was also a member of the
Casals Festival in Prades with Casals, Stern,
Istomin, Menuhin and the rest. He died in 1990.
A three-CD set Paul Tortelier – The RIAS Recordings (Audite 21.455
naxosdirect.com) is devoted to cello sonatas recorded by the Radio in
the American Sector in 1949, 1962 and 1964 and are released here for
the first time. These are superlative performances that from the first
bar of the Beethoven Sonata No.5 leave no doubt that these musicians
love what they are doing. The accompanist, or rather partner, is Lothar
Broddack with whom he collaborates in the Mendelssohn No.2; Fauré
No.2 and Papillon; Paganini Introduction and Variations on Dal tuo
stellate soglio from Moses in Egypt; and Casella’s Sonata No.2. Pianist
Klaus Billing replaces Broddack for Brahms Sonata No.1, Schumann’s
Fantasiestücke Op.73 and Tortelier’s own Trois p’tits tours. He needs
no accompanist for the Kódaly Sonata Op.8. These are immaculate
recordings of wonderful performances.
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68 | April 2020 thewholenote.com