Sergei RACHMANINOV
(1873-1943)
Etudes Tableaux Op. 33 Nos: 9 5 6
Etudes Tableaux Op. 39 Nos: 1 2 3 4 9
Six Preludes from Op. 23 Nos: 1 2 4 5 7 8
Six Preludes from Op. 32 Nos: 1 2 6 7 9 10
12
Sviatoslav Richter
(piano)
rec: Etudes Tableaux DDD 1988, Preludes ADD 1971 reissued from
Olympia
REGIS RRC1022
[74.30]
Bargain price (around £6)
Richter's robustly romantic way with Rachmaninov is a byword. It is perhaps
the most memorable aspect of his interpretations but we should not forget
the grace he can also mobilise in naturalistic and inevitable accents. This
is best heard in Op. 33 No. 5. In this he is closest to his great contemporary
Medtner. James Murray's notes offer excellent insights. If there is a criticism
of the Etudes Tableaux it is that in their most demonstrative moments they
scream out for an orchestra. The composer's fantasy overtops the ability
of the piano to express the range of emotions intended without a certain
density although he defeats this in the bell-tormented Op. 39 No 7 so memorably
orchestrated by Respighi. To this extent Rachmaninov can be compared with
Arnold Bax whose Sonatas (especially Nos 2 and 3) often burst the bounds
of what can be said with the solo piano. That said Richter is impressive
and achieves a sense of spaciousness and stillness that is reserved only
to the truly great pianists. In his more pellucid crystalline moments as
in No 2 Op. 39 there are never any doubts about the rightness of the music
for the instrument. The recording is a tad 'bassy' (much better in the older
Preludes recordings) but nothing you won't be able to live with in the light
of Richter's performances which define 'grand'. The tapes have been licensed
from Olympia. I hope that Regis will be permitted more from Olympia's catalogue.
Reviewer
Rob Barnett
