Though Serkin isn`t concertizing a great deal these days, he remains a fascinating pianist on disc. Some listeners (this one included) find Serkin`s playing occasionally too pointed and harsh. Yet for those who tire of the delicate, jewel-box Mozart that is fashionable among pianists today, Serkin surely represents a compelling alternative. His performances of the Concertos Nos. 15 (K. 450 in B-flat Major) and 22 (K. 482 in E-flat Major) are expansive, thoughtful and pleasantly unhurried. In slow movements, he`s never less than thoughtful, creating some exquisite pianissimos in the process. Abbado is ever the sensitive accompanist.

From 1828 and the three posthumous sonatas Brendel has now gone back in Schubert's life to 1826 and 1825, i.e. to the G major and the unfinished C major sonatas. The G major work was not first published as a "Fantasy" for nothing: though not all that technically demanding, it is one of the most difficult to bring off in view of its leisurely, musing style and general air of benignity. Brendel never for a moment allows attention to wander. He plays it very simply and self-communingly, and somehow mesmerizes you with the raptness and radiance of it all. His lyrical tone is particularly beautiful (though just once or twice his delight in melody causes him to underplay the accompaniment).

This memorable recital testified once more the sublime interpretative grandness of this remarkable pianist. Gifted with an impressive musical versatility, Richter played without any sort of difficulty a repertoire so kaleidoscopic like this one.

This CD is so commanding in its musicality that one can hardly imagine being able to sit still for the live recital itself, given in Carnegie Hall in Feb. 1993. Kissin had already made the debut of a lifetime, also recorded by RCA, but this Chopin recital and its compansion from the same event exhibit a towering mastery. The famous showpieces–the F minor Fantasy, Grande Valse Brillante, F-sharp minor Polonaise, Scherzo #2–eclipse all rivals unless you go back to Rachmaninov, and the audience knew it. Their applause is a roar of ecstatic approval.

First of all, the Brahms selections are among the finest in the entire Richter the Master series. As a glance at the online Richter discography discloses, the two sonata aren't the same readings as on a previous Decca release. Sonatas no. 1 and no. 2 are from the same recital in Tours, June 19, 1988, the year that the great man turned 73. The live recording is closely miked bu clear and full, and despite complaints about his hard touch, it's not anything beyond what we often hear from Richter; consult the more mercurial and restless Decca account for a fair comparison. In fact, it's short-sighted to fault any of Philips' recordings for sound quality given the often abysmal sonics on countless live concerts taped on the fly by amateurs, the Soviets, and various radio stations.

It would be impossible to say enough good about this two-disc set of Sviatoslav Richter playing Bach. Coupling three English suites and three French suites plus a pair of toccatas and a fantasia in live recordings from 1991 and 1992, Richter gives every movement, line, rhythm, and note its own weight and character, but also conveys every detail's critical function in the work as a whole. One could, for instance, characterize his E flat major French Suite as serene, his F major English Suite as playful, or his D minor Toccata as thoughtful, but doing so would not fully capture Richter's fusion of individuality and inevitability.

Late Richter's austere and roughly sculpted sort of pianism makes this 20 century piano music repertoire utterly captivating listening experience. Audience is spell-bound throughout the recital except a few insensitive people daring to sneeze and cough in most scerene moments. There is always something transcendental about his playing in his late years, if not as thrilling as in 60-70s recitals.

Piano music is central to Valentin Silvestrov’s output. With its frequent allusions to lingering recollections of the past, this programme presents an overview of various creative periods. It begins with the composer’s reworkings of youthful sketches (Naive Musik), followed by Der Bote (The Messenger) with its beautiful Mozartian theme leading into a sonatina in the style of the 18th century. After recent works from Silvestrov’s self–defined ‘Bagatelle’ period, the recording concludes with the striking Kitschmusik, which engages with the music of Schumann, Chopin and Brahms. The Two Waltzes are dedicated to Elisaveta Blumina.

Yuja Wang is one of the most technically astounding pianists of our time, with a command of the keyboard matched by sheer muscular strength. Here she turns her attention to Russia and some of its leading pianist-composers. The Rachmaninoff Preludes and Études-Tableaux are rich and swirl with passion, while Scriabin’s Tenth Sonata, a work of mystical imaginings, seethes with dangerous life under her fingers. Briefly looking further afield, a group of Hungarian composer György Ligeti’s tiny Études diverts the attention magically before Prokofiev’s Eighth Piano Sonata, his masterpiece in the form, which Wang characterizes with genuine originality and imagination.

Evgeny Kissin has made brave choices in selecting this program. Schumann's Sonata No. 1 is a huge, sprawling piece, difficult to play and to hold together and therefore not very popular. Carnaval is one of Schumann's acknowledged masterpieces and has been recorded by a wide variety of pianists, providing plenty of competition. In the Sonata, Kissin's performance is a complete success. He has the largeness of spirit, powers of organization, and huge technique to make the music convincing and hold the listener's interest for more than half an hour.

Deep thought, care and love pervade this newest contribution to Arrau's Schumann cycle, just as they did all the others. The discovery for me was the Blumenstück, which if played at all (it isn't often) so easily emerges like some pretty but pale little drawing-room aquarelle. But not from Arrau. Characteristically, he reads between the lines of every bar, and discovers as much to express as in any of Schumann's wholly introspective pieces. I was amazed at the variety of mood he extracts from the work's not greatly varied figuration throughout the sequence of brief, closely related sections.

Kissin still looks very much the boy in the cover photo of this 1994 recital, one of the earliest follow-ups to his rapturously received Chopin recitals, also on RCA. He is jsut as phenomenal here. His commanding technique is reined in for the two Haydn sonatas, yet he presses just enough on the classical line to make it sound more vibrant and enticing. Richter made a great specialty of the Schubert A minor Sonata D. 784, yet Kissin steps up with his own less haunted, more heroic interpretation–it works extremely well. Both pianists rescue Schubert from his cliched role as a lyrical innocent, revealing his underlying Beethovenian aspirations.

This is a welcome re-release from Hyperion on its budget Helios label. When these performances first appeared in 1990, critical opinion was divided as to their merits. The back of this CD quotes statements of high praise from the American Record Guide and Classic CD, among others. From memory, the review that appeared in Gramophone Magazine was harsh in its criticism. For my part, I incline more to the former view. This disc has much to recommend it.

Nikita Magaloff was one of the more interesting and charismatic keyboard figures of the twentieth century. Many of his recordings are still available and in modern sound; yet here was a man who was a friend of Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, from whom he took composition lessons, and Ravel, who was an enthusiastic admirer. Magaloff concertized with the most important conductors and orchestras of the day and at the most prestigious festivals. He also collaborated with the leading string players, like violinist Joseph Szigeti.

Richter's austere and transcendent rendition of Beethoven Sonatas has no comparison. Reiner Maria Rilke wrote apt analogy of Beethoven's towering achievement in Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge (The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge) and the exactly same can be said about Richter's incomparable performances. Highly recommendable, alongside Richter's legendary Leipzig Recital Richter in Leipzig (1963).