Title: Richter gives great WTC but not on this recording
Product review: Sviatoslav Richter brings his superb technique and penetrating musical intelligence to bear on the WTC and the result may not please scholars but it is deeply enjoyable (which is probably what Bach had in mind). Unfortunately the sound on these recordings is abominable. After listening for more than a couple of minutes I give up. I think it is the fault of the original recording in an over reverberant acoustic but there is a constant "aura" which really gets in the way. There is a far better and consistently more exciting version recorded in Innsbruck in the early 70s but it is only available in a CD version on "Polo" which is published in China. Presumably RCA Victor has problems with the dissemination of this version in the West! It's not a perfect recording by any means but it is far more listenable.
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