Sviatoslav Richter’s all-Schubert recital of March 31, 1979 at London’s Royal Festival Hall was previously released in a limited edition set (BBC WMCU 0011-2). In order to accommodate the material on a single disc, BBC Legends omits the A minor Sonata D 784. The remaining B major (D. 575), F minor (D. 625), and A major (D. 664) sonatas, plus the C major Moment Musical bear little if any interpretive differences compared to the pianist’s live Tokyo versions of the same works, recorded one month earlier (available on Olympia). However, the BBC’s more distant mike placement allows Richter’s huge dynamic range more breathing room, all to the B major Sonata’s dramatic advantage (especially in the first movement). I’m not sure I agree with Richter’s newfound severity in the Allegretto (his 1966 Aldeburgh reading was altogether more graceful). Likewise, the younger Richter delivered the finale with more suppleness and digital poise. Yet the F minor sonata’s first movement abounds in pianistic masterstrokes like the nonchalantly dispatched double notes and sublimely differentiated trills. Let’s hope BBC Legends plans to release the aforementioned A minor Sonata from this concert. Excellent annotations.
