Sviatoslav Richter's 1948 Bach recordings are well played, but with no special insight. Not so with his miraculous Haydn, perfectly proportioned and witty at every turn. The Beethoven sonata is the same studio recording on RCA Gold Seal 6804-2 RG, but terribly transferred. Richter takes enormous chances in the ballades, to hair-raising results in the coda of the First and volatile A Minor middle section of the Second. This CD is worth investigating for the Haydn and Chopin. --Jed Distler