The Chopin Etudes and Polonaise-Fantasie stem from Sviatoslav Richter’s February 21, 1960 Prague recital. I believe all of these are new to CD, excepting Op. 10 Nos. 1, 2, 3, & 12 and Op. 25 Nos. 6 & 7, which previously appeared on the Praga label along with Chopin’s Four Ballades from the same concert. The six Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues are 1956 studio recordings, once available on a now-out-of-print Ultraphon CD. Sonically speaking, previously released items emerge fuller and clearer here than in earlier incarnations.
The Shostakovich selections abound with insights, such as the G major Fugue’s incisive, appropriately driving fingerwork, the B minor Prelude’s brusque rhythmic spring, the A major Prelude’s feathery, weightless passagework, and the F minor Fugue’s austere translucency. If the Chopin Polonaise-Fantasie appears to convey more detail and breadth than in Richter’s live 1962 DG recording, it may well be a function of Supraphon’s closer microphone placement. However, Op. 10 Nos. 1 and 12 are cleaner and better controlled here than on DG, while No. 4’s crazy breakneck tempo doesn’t derail, nor do Richter’s steel-trap fingers!
Richter is less consistent in the Op. 25 selections. I prefer the proportioned deliberation of his early 1950s studio E minor Etude (No. 5) to the present reading’s more capricious tempo modifications. No. 7’s mis-gauged dynamics and No. 8’s rather earthbound phrasing contrast to No. 6’s winged, frighteningly secure double thirds. After such a powerful, authoritative “Winter Wind” (No. 11), you can understand and forgive Richter’s waning energy and inaccuracies in the closing C minor “Ocean” Etude. In sum, the best of the Chopin items and the Shostakovich group are bound to attract Richter mavens.
