The piano is one of my favorite instruments along with period strings and
the human voice.  Masters of the piano such as Richter have measureably
enhanced the quality of my life, and I owe no small part in this to the
technology of recorded sound.

We can now listen to Richter perform his art from a myriad of concert
locations throught the world.  The sound quality of these recordings varies
greatly.  Sometimes, the sound is not detrimental to enjoyment of the
music; sometimes it is.  Also, each of us has our own threshold and sense
of sound quality which impacts negatively on the music.

This must be my lead-in to Richter's account of Bach's WTC, Book 1 from
Russian Revelation.  Richter's performances are outstanding; I can't report
that the sound quality disguises his brilliance.  But, the sound quality is
still poor.  Although recorded in 1969, it might as well have been 1939.

Well, you can't have everything, and I am thankful for this recording which
gives us a picture of of two supremely gifted artists.  I'd also like to
take this opportunity to wish each of you a happy Thanksgiving - have a
great day.

Don's Conclusion - Sample first for sound quality considerations.

Don Satz
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