RICHTER PLAYS BEETHOVEN & CHOPIN IN MOSCOW (DVD)

Parnassus presents live performances of Sviatoslav Richter never before available in the West. These videos, filmed at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in October of 1976, show Richter in his prime playing as a soloist in front of an audience.

The Beethoven program includes the Sonatas Nos. 1, 7, 9, and 12, and the Bagatelle, Op. 126, No. 1, played as an encore. The First Sonata was performed on October 10, the remainder on October 15. However the October 15 program also opened with the First Sonata so it is essentially complete.

The remainder of the disc includes Chopin performances from October 15, including the Polonaise-Fantaisie, the Scherzo No. 4, two Waltzes, four Mazurkas, and the Etude Op. 25 No. 7.

The video quality of these recordings is limited by the characteristics of Soviet film stock, resulting in a somewhat grainy image. They have been carefully remastered from the best available sources. The sound quality is fine, in stereo throughout.

Few videos of Richter have been issued, and most of those available show Richter in his later years. This release is the only full-length program of Richter from the 1970s issued on DVD.

Program 1: Beethoven
Sonata No. 1, in F Minor, Op. 1, No. 1
October 10, 1976
Sonata No. 7, in D, Op. 10, No. 3
Sonata No. 9, in E, Op. 14, No. 1
Sonata No. 12, in A Flat, Op. 26
Bagatelle in G, Op. 126, No. 1
October 15, 1976

Program 2: Chopin
Polonaise-Fantaisie in A Flat, Op. 61
Waltz in F, Op. 34, No. 3
Waltz in C Sharp, Op. 70, No. 3
Mazurka in E Flat Minor, Op. 63, No. 3
Mazurka in C, Op. 67, No. 3
Mazurka in F, Op. 68, No. 3
Mazurka in A Minor, Op. Posth.
Etude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 25, No. 7
Scherzo No. 4, in E, Op. 54
October 10, 1976

All recordings STEREO.
Running time: 125 minutes.