For any Richter aficionado who doesn't already own Decca releases 436451 or 458807, Volume 11 in the Richter The Master Series dedicated to twentieth century piano music will be compulsory listening. Of the nine pieces included here, four were never otherwise recorded by Richter: Stravinsky's Piano Rag Music, Webern's Variations, Szymanowski's Metopes, and Hindemith's Suite "1922." Of the seven composers represented here, three (Stravinsky, Szymanowski, and Webern) rarely if ever appeared in the Richter discography. And even though the other pieces and composers are well represented in the Richter discography, it is still amazing that he would program not only the above works but also Prokofiev's Sonata No. 2; Shostakovich's Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87, No. 19 and 20; and Bartók's Three Burlesques for his concert given in Yamaha Centre in Vienna on February 20, 1989. Richter's muscular Prokofiev is no surprise, though the performance here is even more robust than his 1965 Prague performance. His sledgehammer Stravinsky, however, is more than surprising; it's stunning, and his vehement Webern is even more of a revelation. The remainder of the performances are more typical of the pianist but no less impressive in their impact. Richter's Shostakovich is meditative, his Bartók is brash, his Szymanowski is sensual, and his Hindemith is aggressive, almost violent, in its force. Though recorded in 1989, Decca's digital sound here is rough and rugged. ~ James Leonard, AMG

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