Ludwig van beethoven, sviatoslav richter 1975 recital. For my taste, it comes down to a close call between the first three of those. Ludwig van beethoven sviatoslav richter, piano piano sonata no. But beethoven s formidable hammerklavier is a touchstone work that even some master pianists have been wary of. Even then, however, richter omitted a handful of beethovens sonatas, including op. At the present time it is easier to see the beethoven richter relationship relatively clearly. It has fascinated me for many years, and i keep discovering new subtelties each time i hear it. Beethoven s hammerklavier sonata is among the most difficult of all piano sonatas, and is considered by most experts to be the greatest and most difficult of the.
Besides, modern grands have a markedly longer potential sustain time compared to the broadwood that beethoven composed the hammerklavier on which allows for slower temposlonger playing time. Napoleons defeats at moscow in 1812, at the battle of vittoria in 18, and at waterloo in 1814 unleashed a flood of patriotism and hope in vienna that found its parallel in beethoven s heroic music and crusty. If you look at online message boards, youll often find very experienced pianists ranking the 32 sonatas in order of difficulty. Rudolf serkin was 67 when he performed beethoven s colossal hammerklavier sonata at carnegie hall on the very day of that composers bicentennial. Now ica classics releases the same program from richter s london recital one week later, on june 18, at the royal festival hall. To english speakers, the term hammerklavier suggests pounding at the keyboard. Sviatoslav richter tackled repertoire from bach to webern, but he is most certainly not held to be a schnabel, a backhaus or a fischer, that is, a performer who is identified with the viennese classical composers. Between late 18 and late 1815, beethoven experienced a surge of popularity unlike any other in his lifetime. Beethoven s hammerklavier sonata may have its percussive moments, but this title is simply the german word for pianoforte. The weird, titanic, gnarled, joyous, griefstricken monster that is the hammerklavier. Glenn gould, vladimir horowitz, sviatoslav richter, and rudolf serkin recorded selected sonatas, but never. Richter 19151997 was recorded live at royal festival hall in london on june 18, 1975.
Ludwig van beethoven, sviatoslav richter sviatoslav richter in prague beethoven. One of beethovens greatest testaments, the hammerklavier. This is an argument for not using a modern grand piano. Hammerklavier to enjoy in your home or car, or gift it to another music lover. The sonata is dedicated to his patron and pupil the archduke rudolph of austria. The present threedisc collection offers the earlier sets beethoven sonatas, along with what i believe to be the earliest existing recording of richter in the same composers third piano concerto, first released as part of brilliant classics richter concerto edition. Theres no doubt that the first movement can be played fast that playing it fast gives it a.
Dedicated to the composers most influential patron, archduke rudolph of austria no last name needed, beethoven works through several of his recent fixations. Beethoven the piano sonatas is my playlist in which i invite you to share with me some of the greatest piano sonatas in history. Richters 1975 royal festival hall recital classics today. Even the greatest pianists have trouble milling any kind of musicality out of it. Ludwig van beethoven wrote his 32 piano sonatas between 1795 and 1822. This sonata is published in 1816, during a period of difficulty and reduced output by the composer. Legend, difficulty, and the gift of a broadwood piano.
Sviatoslav richter and maurizio pollini are two of my favorite pianists. The 32 sonatas of beethoven, including the wellknown pathetique sonata and the moonlight sonata, are often considered the pinnacle of piano sonata composition. Is it normal to find beethovens hammerklavier sonata. Beethoven marked the movement with a metronome marking of 8 for the half note. Sorting out serious contenders in the hammerklavier. For this reason i advise hunting down charles rosens digital remake for musicmasters or, better still, peter serkins jazzier, lighterfingered account on the.
We do not know if richter took into account the fact that beethoven had been an avid reader of homer, but this performance of the hammerklavier is, without any doubt, epic. Sviatoslav richter in prague, 1975 beethoven hammerklavier duration. Beethoven intended it to be difficult, and said so. It is, of course, thrilling to hear it played with verve and command. The fifth release in pragas richter edition, which presents sacd remasters of classic albums by the great russian pianist sviatoslav richter, features live recordings of beethoven sonatas from the 60s and 70s.
This program competes directly with richter s live prague accounts of the same works in a. A panoramic survey of beethovens hammerklavier sonata, op. My favourite piano sonata is definitely his number 29, op. Sviatoslav richter in prague, 1975 beethoven hammerklavier. Pdf the expanded caesurafill and transcendental states.
Pollinis unparalleled midseventies recordings of the late piano sonatas have long been my reference recordings, but i jumped at the opportunity to hear richter s live hammerklavier when this archival release appeared in 2012. Piano sonatas by sviatoslav richter on amazon music. If you want richters reckless, breathless hammerklavier sonata, for example. In other words, the composer was simply specifying that this work absolutely had to be played on the modern keyboard with hammered strings, and that the old pluckedstring harpsichord was not. This disc includes three of the late sonatas, including a particularly memorable hammerklavier.
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