http://www.lesdjinns.org/elite/Richter%20-%20Tchaikovsky%20Piano%20Trio.rar
For tha PeeWee
It would be very interesting to see how people compare this to the Gilels recording, which for years I’ve believed to be one of the greatest recordings of anything. It sustains a momentum through the piece which is difficult to attain. I remember Richter’s teutonic performance being impressive, and the recorded sound being a challenge on the Live Classics incarnation. The sound was wavy, if I recall! Richter tended to play fff most of the time where he would have added more flexibility in earlier years. Richter in his diaries in later years even commented on this fact, that he wondered whether he played with an “unnatural heaviness.” Nevertheless, his recording is supremely dedicated and powerful.
Gilels plays the piano part better than anyone else, imo, but regrettably his recording is rather poorly engineered.
Thanks for this recording. I love the piece.
It’s true that the sound isn’t great, but I always felt that especially for 1949 it had a radiant warmth that doesn’t detract from the message of the piece. Sometimes antiquated sound can add a certain mysterious wonder to a recording! I found that if I play the recording on good speakers at high volume with mid-range brought up, one can get pretty good presence. I think Gilels’ playing here is superb, and the unity of communication between players is unique. Thanks very much, Chris, for sharing this rare recording with everybody!