Richter Sviatolslav

Sviatoslav Richter is still regarded by nearly the entire piano community as one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. Known for the “depth of his interpretations, his virtuoso technique, and his vast repertoire,” many of his recordings are still the benchmark recordings of famous repertoire. The present edition of Richter’s interpretations from 1948 to 1963 even has some premieres to offer, taken from hitherto unreleased live recordings. Special guests on this release include the Borodin Quartet, Nina Dorliac, Mstislav Rostropovich. Profil Edition Günter Hänssler has already released numerous albums featuring Richter’s performances of works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. The recordings that make up this edition are devoted to the composers Schumann, Brahms and Reger.

For the 100th anniversary of Sviatoslav Richter, Firma Melodiya presents its arguably biggest project in its semicentennial history. The name of Sviatoslav Richter is inscribed in gold in the history of music. He was not just “more than a pianist,” he was even more than a musician. An owner of composing, conducting, artistic, directing and acting gifts, a connoisseur of literature, arts and philosophy, with a will of iron he made all his gifts serve the art of pianism.

Good News - the legal dispute over the ownership of Sviatoslav Richter's Eurodisc recordings has finally been resolved, and Sony is releasing them in a nice 14 CD box.Recorded in Salzburg, Vienna and Munich between 1970 and 1983.A joint production of the small German label Eurodisc (Ariola) and the Soviet giant Melodiya.These are among the last of Richter's studio recordings - after this, most of his commercial recordings were recorded in concert.

Considering that Max Richter's soundtrack work far outpaces the rate at which he releases his own albums, this Deutsche Grammophon collection of four of his earliest works is a welcome reminder of their magic. Retrospective gathers his instant-classic, Franz Kafka-inspired 2004 album The Blue Notebooks, which features the Tilda Swinton collaboration "On the Nature of Daylight" and introduced Richter's expressive mix of classical and electronic music to many listeners; the like-minded Songs from Before, which featured Robert Wyatt reading Haruki Murakami texts over Richter's sensitive, piano-driven compositions; 24 Postcards in Full Colour, an eclectic and emotive collection of ringtone-inspired miniatures; and Infra, a piece composed for the Royal Ballet and inspired in equal measure by T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land and Franz Schubert's Winterreise. The collection also includes bonus tracks for each album, including a full orchestral version of "On the Nature of Daylight" and an essay by Paul Morley. Retrospective offers a wonderful way for fans to experience these albums to their fullest, and for newcomers to learn what all the fuss is about.