Sviatoslav Richter plays Liszt - Mephisto Waltz no. 1, S 541

[marcohorowitz8]

quite nice in A flat!!

[gisuona]

when the errors become enjoyable!

Thanks truecrypt, thanks Richter, with Liszt.

[LarsenPiano]

He misses quite a few notes at that murderous stretch starting around 8:28, but his tempo there is insane! This is the part where you put your life on the line. The only person we heard who plays it as fast is Kissin, and I think the CD version we have is edited, not live. Horowitz takes that stretch slower in his live performance.

[LarsenPiano]

Cool - didn't know about this recording! Thanks for posting and sharing it!

[morinoroba]

What a large scale pianist he was...My father always says that "his playing has unbelievably large scale and it sounds very natural as a result, therefore sometimes one doesn't realize how it is large". Thank you.

[KeithWhalen11]

@morinoroba So true. Probably the best interpreter I've ever heard; his repertoire was incredibly vast, yet he sounded at home with all composers, and I consider so many of his recordings as definitive.

I don't mind the dropped notes in the build up and climax. My favourite part of this piece has always been the 'amoroso' section and it's absolutely breathtaking here.

[dialecticon]

This is the most dyonisiac of all interpretations.

[uknico]

Mephisto and Richter seem to go very well together :)

[luciayangne]

Awesome !!!!!



[pianopera]

According to the British pianist Denis Matthews, "the element of risk is an essential feature of artistic endeavour."

In terms of tempi, Richter is taking all the risks here... and the result is, despite some wrong notes, electrifying.

Nice pictures of Budapest too! ;-)

[shilloshillos]

Love the bravura virtuosity but I think even his super technique could not sustain the speed he took around 8:00.

[Tatipsi]

Maravilhoso...interpretação impecável!!!

[Sword1479]

Liszt looks very sinister in that first picture...

[GetMeThere1]

I love to listen to Richter because I never have to WORRY about him: so effortlessly perfect. I'm NEVER let down by the "next note."

I can find SOMETHING to be less than ecstatic about in virtually any performance--Richter is the only one to have a standing exception to that rule.

[musiclassic1]

@GetMeThere1 what about Zimerman :(

[GetMeThere1]

@musiclassic1 : I'm not in any way saying there aren't many MANY superb pianists--who provide wonderful performances.

I'm saying that only Richter's work regularly "sets me at ease" with regard to knowing that I will hear something superb--indeed something likely to be better than I imagined it would be POSSIBLE to be.

[aknightofcamelot]

Thanks for the re-upload