It has been more than a decade since the death of Soviet pianist Sviatoslav Richter, but his reputation and fame continues to grow, and his recordings continue to be among the most sought-after classical piano recordings ever issued.

During the 1960s, Richter turned away from the studio and, in partnership with classical labels, began to experiment with live recording. The presence of an audience — and the concealment of microphones, which Richter found uncomfortable even in the studio — gave Richter the freedom to delve even deeper into a daring and sometimes deeply personal interpretive approach to masterpieces of the piano repertoire.

The present recording was made in the early years of Richter's career as a touring soloist in the West. Originally released on two separate Turnabout LPs, they have since become collector's items. The present CD release, carefully restored from sources in Vox/Turnabout's US archive, marks their first official release since the LP era in the best possible sound.