Svyatoslav Richter, Oleg Kagan, Natalia Gutman - Franck & Ravel: Piano Trios (1997)

Sviatoslav Richter was a prominent soloist and he also performed many piano concertos. There are not too many that are aware of his career as a chamber musician. His output includes the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas with Rostropovich and most of the violin sonatas with Oleg Kagan and David Oistrakah. Oleg Kagan and Sviatoslav Richter were good friends and they performed many works together. Many of the Live Classic releases feature Richter playing chamber music in the mid to late 80s as his career began to wind down.
Included here are two works with Oleg Kagan and cellist Natalia Gutman. The first work is Frank’s Piano Trio in F Sharp Minor which is an outstanding and much neglected work. Franck’s Violin Sonata and Piano Quintet are also excellent and are more frequently played than the trio, both of which Richter had his in his repertoire. The piano trio is played splendidly and I go back to this rendition frequently.
The second work is chamber music by composer Maurice Ravel. Ravel’s chamber music includes a pair of violin sonatas, and this Trio in A Minor included here. Richter performed the second violin sonata with Kagan in Japan in 1986 and this recording of the trio was from a live performance in Moscow. I have never been too keen on this work, but that does not mean it is not played with the same level of excellence as the Franck work. Both trios come from a recital in 1983 from the Great Hall of the Conservatory.