Evening star., 1960-12-18
NEWS OF MUSIC
BY DAY THORPE
Star Music Critic

Star. Music Critic
When Sviatoslav Richter
gives his second recital here
Tuesday he will continue his
mystifying lesson of how to
become known in America
as the worlds greatest pianist
and the biggest box-ofiice
draw since Josef Hoffman.
1T seems that he doesn't
like to repeat himself.
Earlier this month he
played q program in WASH
Angton in which none Of the
music was familiar to the
concert-going public; this
week he plays nothing but
Beethoven.
8 Beethoven, needless to say,
Is 'still an outstanding popu-
lar favorite, but with the ex-
ception of the "Appassionata"
sonata, none of the 1ive So
natas Richter will play Is one
ordinarily heard performed
In public by the virtuosos
whose names are household
words. Gilels played the So
Y1ata in c. Opus 2, here sew
eral years ago. but what Of
the others-Opus IA, No. !
in E; Opus 26, in A fiat. and
Opus 81, in F? They turn UP
in dedicated recitals at the
Phillips Gallery or the Ma
taonal Gallery, but how often
viii a RubinStein, Serkin, a
Casadesus or a Hess, risk dis
appointing q million fans by
Offering Beethoven sonataS
other than the Moonlight"
the "Waldstein," the "Appas-
sionata," or Opus Ill?
None From Third Period
Richter is even more icon-
oclastic. No pianist in my
memory has ever played an
all-Beethoven program In
which music from the COM
poSer,s so-called third"
period was not represented,
unless the recital was one Of
3 series of the complete
cycle Of 80 sonatas, in which
there are not enough late
sonatas to 60 around. Rich
ter, however, devotes the
first half Of his recital to
early Beethoven, and the
second part to two sonatas Of
the middle years. No Ham
nnerklavier Sonata, no Dia-
belli Variations, pieces one
would think are exception
ally suited to his talent: none
of the works that came after
the "Appassionata." which
every other pianist thinks
necessary TO give a complete
picture Of the genius of
Beethoven. .-. ...-
! am curious to know
whether the music of the
mature Beethoven does not
interest Richter, or whether
on the other hand 1t inter-
ests him so much that he
does not yet feel himself
ready for its Interpretation.
Meanwhile, ! would not be
misunderstood to imply that
I consider Richter's program
In any way fiawed by Its dis
regard Of the usual late
sonatas. On tbe contrary,
1t is a program of extraordi-
nary balance and subtle re-
latlonSh1pS.
IS.
Ideally Suited
It begins and ends with
great virtuoso sonatas ideally
suited to the concert plat
form.
When Beethoven settled in
Vienna as o young man of "A,
he had his reputation to
make as a virtuoso In a nilieu
where there were many vir-
tuosos. The three sonatas of
Opus 2 (1796), whose dedica-
tion to Haydn could do their
immediate reputation no
harm, were written primarily
as show pieces for the COM
poser himself to play in the
salons Of his patrons and OF
yothers he wanted to impress.
.aPublic piano recitals were
extremely rare in Beethoven's
day.
a1 Il have read, and have dis
covered nothing to refute the
statement, that no Beethoven
sonata, with the single ex-
ception of the A major. Opus
10l, was played in public In
Germany during the CON-
poser's lifetime) They are oi
a brilliance, difficulty, ant
showiness not to be founc
again in Beethoven's piano
b music until the Waldstein
written in lSO4 o.
Arranged for Quartet
O.. Opus IA, No. /, in e, mus
have pleased its composer
for he arranged it for strint
s. quartet. It is one Of the mos
charming Of all 80, its frs
movement whimsical, its SLOW
movement Somherly lyrical
and its finale as impetuou