For sixty years, previously unreleased live recordings of pianist Sviatoslav Richter playing Beethoven’s Sonatas Nos. 18, 27, 28 and 3 at the Tours and Lucerne Festivals in 1965, have slumbered in our archives. Recently discovered and carefully restored by Emil Berliner Studios, these are now being released for the very first time.

Like many other artists, Richter felt that he could play more freely and give better performances in the concert hall rather than in the studio. These tremendous recordings reveal Richter at the pinnacle of his powers as a pianist. The performances show a strikingly modern approach that never shies away from taking risks to express the music in its furthest extreme.