Antique sound-quality, variable pitch, out-of-tune pianos, occasionally sub-standard orchestral playing, and yet this is a must for connoisseurs of great pianism—Richter recordings made in the West are distressingly few and with the exception of the famous DG Rachmaninov Second I'm not aware of any remakes of these particular concertos. Furthermore the Glazunov and RimskyKorsakov are sufficiently rare and 'interesting' (historically rather than musically) to be desirable acquisitions. Rimsky-Korsakov's one-movement Concerto of 1883 is often cited as a precedent for Rachmaninov (the resemblance is slight, in point of fact, more a matter of a common heritage in Liszt); Glazunov's First Concerto of 1910, which leans quite heavily on Rachmaninov, shows just why he would be so scandalized by Prokofiev's First the following year.
In all this Rachmaninov is the focal point. Richter's account of the First Concerto has a natural grandeur and momentum like a stream in full spate; his tempo fluctuations at the opening of the Second Concerto are not so finely judged as in the later DG recording, but he is as ever master of the broad view, and even seasoned concerto followers may find their jaws dropping at his virtuosity in the finale. In the Prokofiev it is remarkable how he manages to find twice as much character as most of his rivals yet with half as many rhythmic nuances—everything is there in the touch. And he makes the most of the little inspiration in the Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. Under more exacting studio conditions a few additional retakes might have been made, but Richter's playing has a greatness far beyond accuracy. Don't expect much from the orchestras though, and don't expect anything at all from the recordings.R1 '9010038'