Sviatoslav Richter - Schumann: Piano Works (1992)

Nobody played Schumann better than Richter, who, throughout his long career made several magesterial recordings, including the great C-major Fantasy and the Symphonic Etudes. The Waldszenen, a series of forest sketches in the romantic-as-nature-poet vein, are beautifully played here, ending with a profound reading of "Abschied" in which one has not only a sense of farewell, but of declining light as night falls. Schumann's Toccata is, as Richter freely admitted, one of the toughest piano pieces to perform. The version here is amazing, particularly the final section's chords, played at a dazzling clip.