I encourage everyone who is interested in Debussy or Richter (or in great piano playing) to get hold of this fabulous Richter recording - the Second Book of Preludes is as tremendous as the First; the only minus that one can find in this album is the absence of "La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin" and "Minstrels"; listening to "Bruyeres" and "General Lavine" from Book Two made me think about how wonderful Richter would have been in those First Book Preludes that he chose to leave out. That, however, is quite amply compensated for by the two great versions of "La Serenade Interrompue"! The brochure features excellent notes on Richter by his disciple Alexander Melnikov.
His Chopin is among his most sensitive and delicate on record. As the Amazon reviewer comments, often SR's Chopin could be a bit brittle, but here he breathes and sighs and treats us to intimate shadings so subtle as to defy verbal description. Yet this is decidedly not "overly-delicate." There are a few twists and turns that I wonder about, in terms of correctness, but I don't have a score and really shouldn't nitpick. There are some abrupt tempo and dynamic changes that are wilder than I've ever heard before and also would leave most pianists with lesser technical equipment in the dust, but Richter navigates them without difficulty. This is some of the finest Chopin he ever recorded. He's almost in danger of making it all sound too easy.
With any other mortal the Chopin described above would be the highlight. But for Richter we're just getting warmed up. The Debussy Preludes are so astonishing I actually considered not writing a review here because I felt (and feel) there's nothing I (or anyone) can actually say that adds anything. I *will* say I wish Richter had either recorded these works in the studio or under better sonic circumstances. Actually Book II sounds pretty decent, but Book I suffers from those weak, fuzzy sonics. A lot of color, so crucial to Debussy, is lost. You can hear the detail, but you really have to listen really closely, and pump the volume up a little more than usual, turning it back down again before the applause engulfs you. But active listeners will be rewarded for their effort. After hearing Richter you realize how plain Michelangeli sounds--his DG account is better recorded, but every piece tends to sound fairly the same. Richter equals Michelangeli's technical achievement while surpassing him in insight into the works, giving each one a very distinct flavor. He truly captures a spirit, something between reflection and melancholy, that cannot be put into words but has to be listened to. Michelangeli does not get the melancholy, because he is so detatched and clinical he does not insert any emotion into his reading of the Preludes, unfortunately. I wonder how many student piansts, after hearing Richter in these works, decided never to attempt them themselves!
Despite the proximity of the microphone to the audience, things are mostly quiet, though a poorly-timed cough here and there can really upset the mood. Still, this collection is worth having. The recordings are just an indication of what the event must have really sounded like, the way Leonardo's Last Supper as it survives is but a suggestion of the original grandeur. But it's the best we're going to get, and it's still pretty damned magnificent.
