Sviatoslav Richter needs no introduction - he is universally regarded as one of the very greatest pianists of the 20th
century. The Soviet recordings he made in the 1950s, before he started performing in the west, are generally less well
known though, and here we have two major works, from a composer who was particularly close to Richter's heart,
which he did not revisit in the recording studio in later years.
Schubert's Sonatas D845 and D850 are certainly amongst his greatest, they immediately predate the magnificent final
three (D958-960) and are written on the same vast scale. The composer's piano sonatas were little known in the 1950s,
particularly in the USSR, and Richter was very much a torchbearer for this music. These are sublime performances,
particularly in the timeless slow movements, and it is surprising how rarely these particular recordings have been
reissued in the CD era. Thankfully by the later 1950's the Melodiya recorded sound was much improved and not many
apologies need be made on this account.
To complete this programme we have added one of the earliest Richter recordings, that of the popular Impromptu
D899/4, which dates from 1950.