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Title: Essential Richter
Review: This is the first recording of Beethoven's Piano Concerto #1 and the two sonatas I owned, and I have played them many times over the past 40 years. I would call attention to the slow movement of the Appassionata, which Richter plays with great warmth and tenderness. Many people know and value the Richter of jaw-dropping power and virtuosity, but he could also play slow passages with a kind of spiritual fervor that few pianists ever achieve. The Adagio of the Rachmaninov Concerto #2 would be one example, and the Andante of Sonata #23 on this recording is another. Those who collect Richter recordings know the wide range of recording quality of his extensive discography. This disc is certainly among the better recordings of Richter available and an essential item in any Richter collection. The sound is quite good for 1960.
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