Sviatoslav Richter’s June 11, 1975 Beethoven recital from Aldeburgh captures the mercurial pianist at the top of his musical and communicative form. He transforms the flashy Op. 2 No. 3 Sonata’s broken octaves, rotary passages, and other technical hurdles into an effortless sculpture, and projects an undemonstrative yet utterly riveting slow movement. Perhaps the Scherzo is more light-footed in the pianist’s Prague concert seven days earlier (Praga). In Aldeburgh, however, he unleashed even more fury in the B minor Op. 126 Bagatelle’s “A” sections. Conversely, Richter’s lucid, eagle-eyed conception of the mighty “Hammerklavier” sonata seems a bit more fluid, flexible, and settled then in Prague. This may be because of the BBC’s refulgent, slightly distant engineering, which contrasts to Praga’s closer-miked pickup. It’s a matter of apples and oranges. Sonically and pianistically I prefer either to the Royal Festival Hall reading from a week after Aldeburgh, issued by Stradivarius with the pianist’s approval. But would Richter have approved BBC Legends’ chopping off Op. 2 No. 3’s first movement repeat? The pianist observed the repeat (as he always did), but it ain’t here. Why’s that?
