Richter Archives, Vol. 12: Brahms (Live)

Album review

Where do all the live Richter recordings come from? In the case of volume 12 of the Legendary Treasures series released by Doremi in 2007 featuring music by Brahms, the recordings come from all over the world and all over Richter's career. Specifically, they come from Budapest in February 1957 (the piano quintet), from Takasaki in October 1986 (the Paganini Variations), and from Cesena in April 1992 (the four pieces excerpted from Opus 116). And they are, as Richter performances are wont to be, outstanding. The quintet is with the Tátrai Quartet, and it's big and muscular in the outer movements, hard and demonic in the Scherzo, and meltingly lovely in the Andante. The Paganini Variations are alternately exquisitely lyrical and violently virtuosic with some passages that seem to defy the passage of time. The Opus 116 excerpts are achingly yearning and wildly impulsive. And the sound of the live recordings is, as legendary treasures are wont to be, pretty scrappy. The Takasaki quintet recording is the least bad with honest if crude sound. The Budapest Paganini recording is the next least bad with antique but serviceable sound. The Cesena Four Pieces recording, apparently made from the lap of some concertgoer, is definitely the worst, with gray and distant sound. But for most Richter fans, this will be of small importance compared with the privilege of hearing more recordings by their idol.
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