With a discography so vast it is difficult to speak of a particular group of recordings for a particular label as being better or more central than those for another, Sviatoslav Richter can be difficult to pin down for recommendations. But his complete recordings for the EMI label are undeniably an excellent choice.The best of Richter's solo recordings here are those of Schubert and Schumann. In no other recorded performances has a pianist so well expressed the ardent lyricism and athletic virtuosity of Schubert's Wanderer ...
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With a discography so vast it is difficult to speak of a particular group of recordings for a particular label as being better or more central than those for another, Sviatoslav Richter can be difficult to pin down for recommendations. But his complete recordings for the EMI label are undeniably an excellent choice.The best of Richter's solo recordings here are those of Schubert and Schumann. In no other recorded performances has a pianist so well expressed the ardent lyricism and athletic virtuosity of Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy or the passionate longing and ecstatic release of Schumann's C major Fantasy. Almost as fine are Richter's luminous reading of Beethoven's Andante favori and harrowing account of the same composer's Tempest Sonata. More problematic, perhaps, are Richter's intensely expressive interpretations of eight of Handel's keyboard sonatas, but few would dispute their effectiveness. In the chamber music recordings, Richter is paired only with other Soviet artists -- the steely Oleg...
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