Sviatoslav Richter - Sviatoslav Richter Plays Brahms, Liszt & Schubert (2015) Hi-Res

This is fantastic piano playing; it really sweeps aside all competition and, in the case of Liszt's concertos, elevates the music beyond its usual stature, so that you really do have to regard it as partly Liszt, partly Richter's playing. He seems to have an Olympian view of the music that is both fully immediate and somehow hovering over it. His sound is huge, but there is no sense of bashing, even though it could hardly be more physical. The precision of his finger work is a burst of aural pleasure every time he does a run or arpeggio, it is so spot-on, without the self-conscious attempts to give it shape that reduce the music in other hands. What you get here is a higher consciousness, so that even the somewhat trite melodies can be taken seriously and sound integrated into something of musical weight. He is aided in this by Kirill Kondrashin, who shapes the orchestra with a similar sense of control. The best, if anything, is left till last: a miraculous performance of Schubert's Sonata D 850, recorded live five years earlier in 1956 (the concertos are studio recordings). The voltage of Richter's playing is incredible, and his way with rhythm - knowing exactly when to expand slightly, when to press on with the utmost rigour - makes this sonata sound more compelling than anyone else - you simply cannot imagine anything coming close to this!