Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonatas No. 3, No. 7, No. 12 "Marcia funebre" & No. 22

Featuring

Sviatoslav Richter
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Performer Biography

Sviatoslav Richter, the pianist, disliked the recording process, especially in a studio, but sometimes accepted live performance recordings.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Beethoven often thought of the orchestra when composing for the piano, but in the beginning of Sonata No. 7, he sought the sonorities of a string quartet.

Performer Biography

Sviatoslav Richter's repertoire included around eighty different programs, not counting chamber works.

Recording & Production

This album features live recordings from June 2, 1975, November 1, 1959, and November 25, 1960, and was reissued from a PRAGA PR 254 020 CDM authorized by S. Richter in 1996.

Interpretation

Sviatoslav Richter believed the pianist's role is to faithfully execute the composer's intentions, without adding anything not already in the score, and to "dissolve in" the music.

Performer Biography

Sviatoslav Richter, the pianist on this album, gave his first US concert in Chicago on October 15, 1960, performing Brahms's Second Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.