You know how old-timers always insist that Schumann's three-movement Fantasie in C major is one of the Great Romantic Masterpieces, but how because they also invariably affirm that
Sviatoslav Richter's 1961 recording of the Fantasie was the last Great Romantic Performance, they also inevitably assert that nobody else since then has really understood the work much less been able to give it the kind of bravura performance it requires, so ineluctably every recording since
Richter's has pretty much stunk on ice?
Well, old-timers, the wait for the next
Richter is over --
Pedro Burmester's 2006 recording of the work is here. Not that
Burmester is the next
Richter.
Burmester is his own man and his interpretation is entirely his own. But
Burmester is the first pianist since the Soviet titan to give Schumann's Fantasie the kind of recklessly virtuosic, emotionally incandescent, utterly individualist performance for which
Richter was revered.
Burmester doesn't just play the notes -- he infuses them with unbearable energy and overwhelming intensity, making the most of every jot and tittle in the score. Better yet,
Burmester goes behind, below, and above the score, and like the greatest Romantic pianists, re-creates the score as a totally compelling musical and emotional experience. For listeners looking for a clean and lucid performance of the Fantasie, check out Pollini. But for listeners looking to be ravished, try
Burmester.
All the above could as well have been written about
Burmester's coupling of Liszt's Sonata in B minor. Like the Fantasie, it is indubitably one of the Great Romantic Masterpieces. Like the Fantasie, the last Great Romantic Performances of the work were recorded by
Richter back in the '60s. And like
Richter in his recording of the sonata,
Burmester gave the work a performance of staggering sensitivity, stunning power, and, of course, shattering virtuosity. Anyone who loves either work or just great piano playing owes it to him/herself to hear this disc, especially in Avanti Classic's vivid and vibrant sound.