For the first time, four classic Prokofiev recordings by towering virtuoso Sviatoslav Richter are available on one must-have disc, newly remastered by Paul Arden-Taylor!
“Sviatoslav Richter‘s peerless 1959 performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 5 boasts razor-sharp playing from the Warsaw Philharmonic, and sounds remarkably vivid for its age. Recording quality throughout the rest of the all-Prokofiev programme, however, is more variable. Dynamic range is somewhat limited in the Second and Ninth Piano Sonatas, the latter work dedicated to Richter and here receiving a particularly affectionate and characterful interpretation. On the other hand, the mid-1950s version of the First Piano Concerto, has lost none of its sparkle and youthful energy.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Erik Levi, BBC Music Magazine, December 2023
“Richter was possibly the greatest Prokofiev pianist who ever lived. He had a unique way of unlocking the music’s pianistic beauty and poignant lyricism while still pushing its steel-edged rhythms to the proverbial max.”
–Classics Today
⭐️⭐️⭐️[Highest rating] “Richter’s account [of Piano Concerto No. 5] is a classic. … It cannot be recommended too strongly … This concerto could have sounded contrived BUT when put over with the rhythmic bite, the technical aplomb, and the pungency of characterisations that we see here… a very different story!”
–Penguin Guide
“Others’ [Piano Sonata N. 9] are too sentimental. … I really do connect with Richter the most in Prokofiev.”
–Talking Classical
