CLASSICAL

Chopin, Frederic: The Four Scherzos. Sviastoslav Richter, piano. CBS/MELODIYA 36681 -- Richter's way with these often volatile pieces is more subdued, more richly detailed in the lower emotional/dynamic sections, than one might expect. While he does not turn them into gentle vignettes, those expecting barnstorming in the grand Russian tradition will be at best startled by the beauty and often hushed poetry of these performances. They are of subdued textures -- marvels o f control, of sustained lyricism, of haunting introspection