Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2; Preludes (4)

In celebration of their twentieth anniversary, this essential release from Praga focuses on the artistry of the great Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter. In an all-Rachmaninov program, Richter is heard in the first two Piano Concertos accompanied by the great conductor Kurt Sanderling in live performances recorded in the 50s - well before he began touring internationally. Praga's hybrid SACD pairs remastered monophonic recordings of the concertos with four of Richter's favorite Preludes recorded in stereo during his first tour of North America in 1960. Praga has employed the best of today's cutting-edge restoration techniques to present these important historical recordings in all their original glory. Although collectors may know these performances via previous CD incarnations, Praga s surround-sound treatment radically transforms the dynamically constricted and timbrally murky mono originals. As a consequence, the strings and woodwinds gain new-found warmth, presence, and definition, and previously masked soft timpani strokes make themselves felt, while Richter s piano is equalized to brighter effect... Pianistically speaking, Richter is at the top of his game... --Classics Today