Hi,
I've been searching for 15 years now for a live recording of Sviatoslav Richter, recorded at his Carnegie Hall debut in 1960. Two records were issued at the time, one with several romantic composers, the other one with the Beethoven Appassionata - which is said to have kept the people spellbound and also laid the foundation of Richter's success in the Western world.
If you just listen to his studio recording of the work, you'll understand why, even though it is said that the live performance was even more impressive!
It is that difficult to find because a few years after the recording was released, Richter had ordered the destruction of the tapes as he was "ashamed" of his performance (there were some imperfections indeed). But I still think that a scratch on the walls of a cathedral doesn't destroy its beauty.
I've once heard it was a CBS record. Thanks for your help.
Bernard.
Posted on: 15 February 2001 by Former member
Bernard,
I don't know if this is the recording you had in mind, but I have a cassette, which I think was a CBS issue, of a live recording from some unknown venue. It is one of the most astonishing performances I've ever heard, approaching violence in the final movement of the Apassionata. The hesitant audience applause at the end suggests they were stunned. I have never seen this recording in any of the catalogues, and I have been looking for it on CD since I bought it about 10 years ago. Unfortunately, I now think I've lost the cassette as well!
Ross
Posted on: 15 February 2001 by Former member
Strangely enough, while I no longer seem to have the original cassette, I did make a cassette recording of the original cassette in case I lost the first one. In other words, I still have this recording, but probably not in very good sound. (I still don't know if this is the particular recording you are interested in, and the few details I recorded on the second cassette don't help.) I had better record this on minidisc just in case I lose the second cassette.
Ross
Posted on: 15 February 2001 by Cheese
Thank, Ross, for the information. If the obscure Slava starts the third movement at such a breathtaking pace that he ends up being unable to speed it up (and he should) at the extreme end of the sonata, it might well be the recording I mean - especially if he misses some keys sometimes, but we got used to it when Slava plays (love him)
I'll contact you if there's no one else who can offer me the record for a reasonable price and in a reasonable state.
Thanks again
Bernard
