Sviatoslav Richter Plays Chopin Nocturne E Minor, Op. 72, #1

Have you heard Barenboim's? I Love his... There you might find you close second

Already did, about 10 years ago.

It's entirely a matter of personal taste, i.e. nothing you can exactly stick on a scale and weigh, but IMO Rubinstein's Nocturnes are the best -- lyrical, liquid, romantic, deep, devoid of alarm. Wish I could find a close second.

Richter's is good. His heavy use of the sustain pedal not in the spirit of the songs, though, IMO; notes which normally do not, by virtue of their being individual little stone skips are suddenly hanging dissonant by virtue of being left to ring side by side.

Great, but yuo should listen to Rubinstein...

I am going to play this in 10 days... and I would love to be half as good as he is =)

Nice piece

Erratum: I do NOT like comparing in public... well normally (unless I did not like some)

He-he, this recording sounds more... "life-confirming". I do like comparing publicly unless I am really unhappy about one. P ' s performance is a delight, at the same time I tend to "visualize" it less than this. Richter ' s also sounds more nocturne to my mind.

indeed, dear mr."mitube", apart of "pianism" I also like animals, particulary cows.
how did you get out ? ;)
coming down from a hard mountaineering-tour, lying on a lonely alp meadow, what could be more "rising" than listening their bells and feeling eternity...

Absolutely, francorussie! But my purpose was only expressing it all with one word.:-)

Hallo, hallo, dear silkroadflower. It is a beautiful piece. You'll probably like even if played on a xylophone by a cow. :-)

Dear "truecrypt",
thank you so very much for your answer!
I appreciate your statements and might understand what you call "the difficult and endless search for the *truth*"...
Sometimes I meet a performance that's true for me - and then it's this divine moment called in German "Glückes genug" ;)
But when discovering all these rare historic treasures, it crazily may happen to me, that I fall in love to more than one interpretation...
with lots of best wishes "srf"

I hope I didn't offend you! ;)
It's a such a "minefield" - usually ends up with "who is better" and/or "can you play yourself?" arguments. There is no single or "truly correct" style or approach - traditions, personal abilities, background, piano brand, live or studio recording - so many variables... How would Pachman play this in 1970 or 2000? How would Chopin himself play this Nocturn now? For the *genuine* performer it's always difficult and endless search for the *truth*...

Oh, thank you so very much, dear "truecrypt" !
I'm just new here and very very inexperienced !
Please excuse me !!!
And of course you are right - there's no need to compare!
I myself enjoy both and still some others!!!
With "dark-red ears" and a "big thanx" to you, "srf"

There is no need to compare - both performers are superior within their own styles. As for comparing styles themselves - you are stepping into "explosive" area of taste preferences and mindset! ;)

hallo dear piano-lovers and -experts!
Is there anybody in the mood to compare Richter's performance with the one of Pachman?
(You can find it with my favorites)
I'd enjoy it so very much to read some opinions !
Looking forward to an answer,
with best wishes "srf"

special thanx to "truecrypt" for sharing !!!

Richter ' s entire life proves that he venerated and almost madly loved music. Yet it may be that his sincerity, purity and might makes you of think it's "unapologetic". It seems that Richter was so much involved in his playing and so sincere that he broke piano key(s) and pedal(s) more than once ;-)

Strange. However, to my memory Richter is 1 of the most envied pianists (probably ranks 1st among those envied...) Even today...

Pity that there are so few of Richter's Nocturnes (and I've got one more). I love his unapologetic approach in this music.

Richter and Chopin, performer and composer, are just brothers in arms :-) in music. Among the greatest of greatest, Richter is the most Slavic (= powerful) interpreter of Chopin (one might not understand this if keeps to the wrong and common idea of a superficially "vehement" or icily mundane Chopin; though there can be different interpretations, they still should be "mainstream" in spirit)

I have to confess that in my "younger years" I arrogantly considered Richter's Chopin somewhat lacking of the "Polish spirit"... My teacher only smiled and used to notice - "Just wait another 20-30 years!". I found myself in my teacher's shoes recently! A very nice young performer told me that Richter's role in piano history is greatly exaggerated. I instantly replied with my teacher's words. Truly "what goes around comes around"! ;)

The more I get acquainted with Richter's Chopin, the harder I find it to believe that a critic like Joachim Kaiser could dismiss his recordings as "unconvincing"...Many thanks for a great document, truecrypt!

Exquisite, as always..