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 the pianist at the height of his powers. Indeed, they evoke Van Cliburn's comment: ‘That is the most powerful piano playing I have ever heard’. Richter's interpretations of Beethoven are phenomenal. The performances of the Sonatas Nos. 18, 27, 28 and 31 show a strikingly modern approach that never shies away from taking risks to express the music in its furthest extreme. Pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, a confidante of Richter, was enthusiastic about the artistic freedom, technical brilliance and love of the music conveyed in these recordings.
