Donald Satz wrote:

>I had reported that Richter's WTC Book 1 on Russian Revelation was an
>outstanding performance in poor sound.  The sound did distract from my
>enjoyment.  I was listening on headphones the first few times I listened
>to the set and never did I have the smarts to figure out that "keeping my
>distance" might well improve matters.  And it did.

Poor sounding recordings often sound better when played on an inferior
equipment.  I, usually, listen to the old recordings through the computer
speakers.

>Richter does not dawdle with these pieces.  Some might consider his
>readings on the hasty side with a resulting loss of pathos on one end and
>serenity on the other.  Others will revel in his "granite" control, superb
>technical skills, and forward momentum.  I'm in the latter camp, and
>Richter still provides much lyricism.

I can speculate that Bach had an organ sound in mind, when he wrote
WTC Book I, and may have decided on a second attempt, to introduce the
character of another instrument, perhaps, harpsichord.  When listening to
Richter's WTC, especially Book I, I always hear organ as much as the piano.
That may explain, why I enjoy many different performances of Book II, even
the one by Schiff, but when it comes to Book I, only Richter does it for
me.

>So, I have to revise my conclusion which was to sample for sound quality
>before buying.

There is a Richter's studio recording of both books, on RCA label, which can
be listened to in any position.

ML