Sviatoslav Richter - Schubert: Works for Piano (Melodiya Edition, Vol. 3) (1997)

This is the only recording of Sviatoslav Richter playing D. 845. The 1957 sound quality isn't very good, but the performance is one for the ages. The way Richter plays the first movement, integrating its rambling structure and keeping the drama alive, should be enough to convince anyone that we're listing to one of the great Schubertians. (If that doesn't do it, notice the way he projects the sudden changes of mood in the finale.) There is a concert recording of Richter playing D. 850 (Praga 254031) from the same year as this studio recording (1956), but while Praga's performance is a little more intense, Melodiya's sound is better. In either case Richter's interpretation of this giddy sonata is one of the best ever recorded. -- Leslie Gerber