The Liszt b-minor piano sonata is possibly his most original creation, even though the work has a clear conceptual precedent in Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy. The piece follows a cyclical structure, is based on the thorough development of several basic motifs, and constantly places monumental techical demands on the performer. Richter plays throughout with daring and aggression, except for the introduction and coda, in which he nearly loses all sense of structure for the work by taking an excessively slow tempo. While this live recording of the sonata has its share of wrong notes, the energy of the performance demonstrates that Richter was at his best in concert. Once again, this is a performance nearly as good as any other, although I prefer the recordings of Cliburn, Arrau, and Argerich.
The sound quality of the digital re-mastering (probably all 1960s original recordings) is excellent--particularly for the rendering of the London Symphony Orchestra, who are in surprisingly energetic and excellent form under Kondrashin's direction (despite poor intonation in a few passages). Unfortunately, the live recording itself for the sonata contains some thumping in the fugue section, which was probably a result of poor microphone placement.
Perhaps the audio quality will one day be surpassed. It is doubtful that Richter's stunning performances ever will. This is music-making at its best: inspired, spontaneous, yet with masterful control and a sense of the whole, evidenced by both pianist and conductor.
This recording is so satisfying that no other will seem necessary. It is simply the last word; on the Liszt Piano Concertos no more needs to be said. The same is true for the magnificent rendition of the Sonata, although the audio suffers by comparison to that of the Concertos.
