Artist: Sviatoslav Richter Title: Beethoven: Sonatas Nos. 18, 27, 28 & 31 (The Lost Tapes / Live) Year Of Release: 2016/2025 Label: Deutsche Grammophon (DG) Genre: Classical Piano Quality: flac lossless (tracks) 24bits - 192.0kHz + Booklet Total Time: 01:12:26 Total Size: 2.72 gb Tracklist 01. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt": I. Allegro (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 02. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt": II. Scherzo. Allegretto vivace (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 03. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt": III. Menuetto. Moderato e grazioso (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 04. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt": IV. Presto con fuoco (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 05. Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90: I. Mit Lebhaftigkeit und durchaus mit Empfindung und Ausdruck (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 06. Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90: II. Nicht zu geschwind und sehr singbar vorgetragen (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 07. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101: I. Etwas lebhaft und mit der innigsten Empfindung. Allegretto ma non troppo (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 08. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101: II. Lebhaft, marschmäßig. Vivace alla marcia (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 09. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101: III. Langsam und sehnsuchtsvoll. Adagio ma non troppo, con affetto (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 10. Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101: IV. Geschwind, doch nicht zu sehr und mit Entschlossenheit. Allegro (Live at Kunsthaus, Lucerne, 1965) 11. Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo (Live at La Grange de Meslay, Tours, 1965) 12. Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: II. Allegro molto (Live at La Grange de Meslay, Tours, 1965) 13. Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: IIIa. Adagio ma non troppo (Live at La Grange de Meslay, Tours, 1965) 14. Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: IIIb. Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo (Live at La Grange de Meslay, Tours, 1965) Anyone who thinks that there is no longer anything to say on the subject of Sviatoslav Richter’s discography is wrong. For sixty years these recordings, which were made by Deutsche Grammophon at the Tours and Lucerne Festivals in 1965, have slumbered in the Yellow Label’s archives. Carefully restored by Emil Berliner Studios, they are being released now for the very first time. Like many other artists, Richter felt that he could play more freely and give better performances in the concert hall rather than in the studio. These tremendous recordings reveal the pianist at the pinnacle of his powers as a pianist. Indeed, they evoke Van Cliburn's comment: ‘That is the most powerful piano playing I have ever heard’. Richter's interpretations of Beethoven are phenomenal. The performances of the Sonatas Nos. 18, 27, 28 and 31 show a strikingly modern approach that never shies away from taking risks to express the music in its furthest extreme. Pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, a confidante of Richter, was enthusiastic about the artistic freedom, technical brilliance and love of the music conveyed in these recordings. The album is available digitally, as a CD and double LP and includes a recent interview with Elisabeth Leonskaja, an essay by Jed Distler and editorial notes by Markus Kettner. Numerous photographs, some previously unpublished, complete the edition